StormClan's Journey
by Shard of Broken Ice
Summary: Unexpected betrayals. Good relationships broken by just a mere argument. Hatred of the cats of long past. Sadness. Unbearable sadness of all that has happened. StormClan struggles to continue with their lives, but only to be met with more tragedies. Can they survive or will they fall, lost in their grief and time of darkness? *ON HOLD*
1. Allegiances

**Allegiances:**

 _ **StormClan:**_

 **Leader:**

Stormstar - Stormy-gray tom with splashes of white along back and flanks; blue eyes.

 **Deputy:**

Jaycloud - Dark-grey she-cat with some white streaks on her tail. Has bright blue eyes.

 **Medicine Cat:**

Fernripple - Tortoiseshell she-cat with black ear-tips; amber eyes.

 **Warriors:**

Blackstone - Jet black tom with a white tip on his tail and one white mark on his chest. _Apprentice: Ivypaw._

Maplecreek - White she-cat with brown paws and tail and has amber eyes. _Apprentice: Ripplepaw_

Thistlepond - Grey tom with a reddish tail; amber eyes.

Ashtail - Grey she-cat with a dark-grey tail and brown ears. Has moss-green eyes.

Pebblestone - Grey tom with sky-blue eyes. _Apprentice: Fleetpaw_

Mousestreak - Black tom with a brown stripe across his face.

Shadowclaw - Black she-cat with sharp claws and grey eyes.

Breezeblossom - Fluffy chestnut she-cat with a white chest.

Shadefrost - Dark-brown she-cat with a tan-colored underbelly, tail-tip is a light-brown; pale green eyes.

 **Apprentices:**

Ripplepaw - Blue-grey pelt with green eyes.

Fleetpaw - White-grayish she-cat with amber eyes.

Ivypaw - Brown she-cat with one blind blue eye.

 **Kits:**

None.

 **Queens:**

Speckwind - White she-cat with a black tail and dark-brown eyes.

 **Elders:**

Shortface - White tom with green eyes and a graying tail.

Halffish - Gray tom with lots of white spots.

 _ **DuskClan:**_

 **Leader:**

Duskstar - Creamy-colored she-cat with dark blue eyes.

 **Deputy:**

Brindlegaze - Short brown she-cat with ice blue eyes.

 **Medicine Cat:**

Cherrybreeze - Pale she-cat with bright green eyes and a distinctive black tail.

 **Warriors:**

Dawnocean - Soft dark tabby she-cat with bright hazel eyes.

Cloudmoon - White tom with yellow eyes.

Ebonystripe - Thick white fur with a black stripe along his back and tail and has amber eyes. _Apprentice: Cedarpaw._

Pondfeather - Bright orange tabby she-cat with bright blue eyes.

Creekstorm - Silvery-grey tom with dark green eyes. _Apprentice: Hailpaw._

Fawnfrost - Sleek dark-brown she-cat with a dark gray streak on her tail. _Apprentice: Sorrelpaw._

 **Apprentices:**

Sorrelpaw - Tortoiseshell she-cat with sky blue eyes.

Cedarpaw - Short dark brown tabby tom with hazel eyes.

Hailpaw - Ashy-gray she-cat with a few streaks of white on her face and tail. Has dark yellow eyes.

 **Kits:**

Flowerkit - Ginger she-cat with dark amber eyes.

Hazelkit - Long bright orange tabby fur with a few splotches of white on her flanks. Has sapphire blue eyes.

 **Queens:**

Dovespirit - Silver tabby she-cat with green eyes. Mother of Flowerkit and Hazelkit.

 **Elders:**

Shallowhaze - Short blue-gray she-cat with dull amber eyes.

Shortgaze - Snowy white she-cat with blue eyes.

 _ **OwlClan:**_

 **Leader:**

Owlstar - Light brown she-cat with pale tabby markings on her face and back.

 **Deputy:**

Spottedshadow - Black she-cat with dark gray stripes.

 **Medicine Cat:**

Leafheart - Silver-grey she-cat with darker grey stripes.

 **Warriors:**

Flamefrost - Tom with a ginger pelt with black ears and a white tail tip. _Apprentice: Mosspaw._

Thornfoot - Brown tom with black streaks along his back and face.

Snowheart - She-cat with black fur and a white underbelly.

Hawkstripe - Tom with a brown pelt and silvery-white marks on his face.

Poppywing - She-cat with pale ginger fur. _Apprentice:_ _Lionpaw._

Shadowbreeze - Jet black tom with white ears.

Pinefall - Bracken colored tom with ginger streaks along his back and tail. _Apprentice:_ _Briarpaw._

 **Apprentices:**

Briarpaw - Brown she-cat with white paws and amber eyes.

Lionpaw - Ginger tom with small streaks of black on tail.

Mosspaw - Tortoiseshell she-cat with light brown paws and leaf-green eyes.

 **Kits:**

Gingerkit - Sand-colored she-cat with white spots and has blue eyes.

Thistlekit - Brown tom with amber eyes.

Echokit - Pale grey she-cat with darker flecks on her face and tail.

 **Queens:**

Sparrowthorn - Dusty-sand colored she-cat with white splotches along her back and has blue eyes.

Cloverdapple - Tortoiseshell she-cat with a white tail.

 **Elders:**

Larchsong - Light brown she-cat with blue eyes.

Flamestripe - Ginger tom with dark orange stripes.

 _ **RavenClan:**_

 **Leader:**

Ravenstar - Black tom with light amber eyes.

 **Deputy:**

Sparrowfeather - Grey tom with a silky pelt.

 **Medicine Cat:**

Nightfoot - White and black tom with blue eyes.

 **Warriors:**

Sprucepelt - A muscular dark cream tom with blue eyes.

Briarpetal - Red tabby she-cat with jade-green eyes.

Leafcloud - Tortoiseshell she-cat with grass-green eyes and rounded ears.

Fawnstreak - Red tabby she-cat with pale grey-blue eyes.

Crowflare - Black she-cat with flame-orange eyes.

Pinemist - White she-cat with green-flecked hazel eyes.

 **Apprentices:**

Flashpaw - Blue-silver tabby tom.

Maplepaw - Tortoiseshell she-cat with dark blue eyes.

Elmpaw - Brown tabby tom with aqua eyes.

 **Kits:**

Cherrykit - White she-cat with a gray chest and forepaws and has brown eyes.

Vinekit - Brown tom with dark green eyes.

 **Queens:**

Featherripple - Light grey she-cat with one white forepaw and dark blue eyes.

 **Elders:**

Aldergaze - Small light-brown tom with pale amber eyes.

 _ **Other Cats Outside of the Clans:**_

 **Rogues:**

Ratberry - White she-cat with three scars and very dark-brown eyes (black almost).

 **Kittypets:**

Bells - Dark gray tomcat with very little white. Known for having one blue eye and one green eye.

 **Loners:**

Bleed - Dark brown tom with a black underbelly and ears.


	2. Prologue

**A/N: This is a new story that I'm going to be doing along with all my other stories that I have to work on. But as of right now, this story is my main focus. Hope you like~**

 **~Frostwing**

 **Prologue:**

Fernripple looked around the den wearily, her tired eyes drifting back to the pile of herbs that had yet to be sorted. She sighed inwardly, glancing at the entrance once more.

It was nearly sundown, the dimming rays of the sun dappling the camp clearing and pouring weakly into the medicine den. Fernripple then turned back towards the pile of herbs, resuming sorting the herbs into separate piles.

Just then, a cat burst into the den, making the medicine cat look up, confusion clouding her clear amber orbs. "What is it, Pebblestone?" she asked, looking at the grey-furred cat, glancing at the barely breathing body in his jaws. "Fleetpaw was attacked by a fox," the grey-furred warrior exclaimed breathlessly, setting his apprentice down gently.

Fernripple padded towards the limp apprentice, nosing her gently in the side. Frowning, she looked up after a minute. "She has some severe injuries, but none that I can't tend to. Though I'm afraid that I'm going to have to keep her here overnight."

Pebblestone nodded slightly and looked at the gray-and-white apprentice, concern flashing in his blue eyes. "She'll be fine, I just need to look over her and see if I can't fix her wounds," the tortoiseshell medicine cat reassured the tom. The grey warrior nodded after a while and with a sigh, left the medicine den.

After Fernripple was sure that Pebblestone had left and retired to the warriors' den, she picked up Fleetpaw, padding to one of the moss nests that were already prepared in case any cats were injured in a fight of some kind. She set the young apprentice down gently onto one and with a quick glance over her again, padded in further into the den.

Once Fernripple was farther into the cave, she inspected the dark hollow carefully, her amber eyes glowing in the semidarkness. With a small frown, she searched the den for another minute, not wanting to waste precious time. Tilting her head slightly, she padded to one of the piles, and pawed it closer to her. "Finally, now I just need some goldenrod and cobwebs," she murmured to herself, picking up the horsetail.

Spotting the goldenrod in a far corner, she swiftly padded toward it and picked a few leaves up. Frowning slightly, she pulled a beech leaf towards her and dropped the goldenrod and horsetail onto it carefully before she gathered some cobwebs that were beside her and too, dropped it on top of the other herbs.

Swiftly, Fernripple picked up the beech leaf into her jaws before she padded out into the main part of the medicine den where Fleetpaw laid, her flanks barely rising with each breath she took.

Sighing, Fernripple set down the beech leaf and unrolled it, revealing the two herbs and the bundle of cobwebs. Working quickly, the tortoiseshell medicine cat began to work on some of Fleetpaw's severe injuries first before moving onto the minor ones that she had received.

Once Fernripple was sure she was on the last wound that was on Fleetpaw's flank, she looked outside, checking to see what time of day, or even night if it's nightfall already, it was almost nightfall, the final streaks of sunlight dappling the forest and the main clearing of the camp. Ducking back inside, she went over to Fleetpaw, seeing that her flanks were rising and falling more than what it looked like before.

Fernripple let out a sigh of relief, smiling slightly as she watched the apprentice sleep more peacefully. Suddenly feeling exhausted, the she-cat stalked over to her nest, settling down comfortably. Closing her amber orbs, she let exhaustion take over her and soon fell into a deep and peaceful slumber.

* * *

Fernripple woke up with a jolt, causing her to widen her amber eyes slightly. Tensing her muscles, she looked around warily before she noticed that she was in StarClan's hunting grounds.

Relaxing instantly, she smiled, but then frowned. _Wait, if I'm in StarClan's hunting grounds, then... they must have something to tell me._ She thought with growing alarm, causing her to widen her eyes once more. Just then, a starry cat padded out from a bush, its tail flicking.

Fernripple blinked as she glimpsed the cat padding toward her. "Wait, Stonedust?!" Fernripple exclaimed, her tail lashing from side to side. The tom stopped and purred in reply, "Yes, Fernripple." At that, Fernripple ran up to him, grinning and exclaiming, "It's been so long!" Stonedust smiled, but his gold-yellow eyes remained serious.

Noticing the seriousness of the situation, Fernripple backed up one step and nervously asked, "What is it, Stonedust?" The StarClan tom gazed at Fernripple for a long moment before he replied in his deep tone, "StarClan has a prophecy, Fernripple."

Alarm washed over the tortoiseshell medicine cat, flattening her ears against her head. Frowning, she gazed at her former mentor. "A prophecy? Now?" Stonedust nodded grimly.

Taking a deep breath, Fernripple nodded slowly. "What is the prophecy?" In reply, Stonedust closed his orbs and began to speak the mysterious prophecy. "Peace will shatter and a trusted warrior become your deadliest enemy." After he spoke, Stonedust opened his eyes again, his eyes glinting a little in the night.

After a few moments of silence, Fernripple asked hesitantly, "What does it mean, though? Who is this 'trusted warrior?'" Stonedust shook his head. "I can't tell you, Fernripple. All I can do is advise you and I advise you to tell your leader, but no one else."

Sighing, Fernripple looked down, but nodded dutifully. "I will, Stonedust."

Stonedust smiled at her even though her gaze wasn't on him. "Good luck, Fernripple, and also remember that StarClan is with you and your Clan." Fernripple looked up and smiled back. "Thanks, Stonedust."

The former medicine cat dipped his head slightly. "May StarClan be with you, Fernripple, and your Clan."

"May the stars guide your path, Stonedust," Fernripple said quietly, watching him fade away before she was consumed by darkness as she woke up.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hope you liked the prologue. I'm currently working on the actual first chapter, so stay tuned for more. Review, please!~


	3. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Chapter 1 is finally here! I'll be working on Chapter 2 as soon as I can, and hopefully get that posted sometime around next week. If I have the time, that is.

 **Springflower:** Glad you like it so far! :D It's only going to get more good as it goes on, though. :D

Enjoy Chapter 1!

~Frost (my new penname :D)

 **Chapter 1:**

Stormstar woke up in his moss nest, blinking open his sleep-glazed blue eyes. He yawned, sitting up and beginning to straighten his stormy-grey pelt. The soft pawsteps padding into his den made him look up, his tail flickering slowly behind him.

"Good morning, Stormstar," Jaycloud mewed, dipping her head to the Clan leader. "Hello, Jaycloud," greeted Stormstar, smiling a little as he gazed at his deputy. "What brings you here?"

"Sorry if I was interrupting anything, Stormstar, but something happened to one of our apprentices." At this, Stormstar pricked his ears forward. "What happened?"

Jaycloud shifted her paws slightly before answering, "Fleetpaw was attacked by a fox yesterday, Pebblestone said that they were doing some hunting before she got attacked."

"A fox? In our territory?" Stormstar demanded with Jaycloud nodding slightly in reply.

"Warn future hunting and border patrols of the danger. We don't know if the fox has kits or not," Stormstar instructed.

"Yes, Stormstar," Jaycloud dipped her head in acknowledgement before she padded out of the dark den and into the main camp clearing.

Stormstar sighed, flicking his ear before he soon rose to his paws, padding out into the busy clearing.

"Alright, I need Speckwind, Ashtail, Maplecreek and Ripplepaw to go on a border patrol. Watch out for that fox we scented yesterday, as well," added Jaycloud, her bright blue eyes flickering to each cat on the patrol.

Nodding, the assembled cats padded out of the camp and into the forest, the sunlight weakly pouring into the entrance of the StormClan camp.

"Oh, Stormstar, if you would be willing as to join a border patrol, that would be very helpful," Jaycloud asked, turning around to look at her leader. Stormstar nodded in reply and asked, "Who are the other patrol members?"

"Let's see, Thistlepond, Mousestreak, and Blackstone will be accompanying you." Jaycloud informed.

"Alright," Stormstar nodded, glancing around. Thistlepond, who had been standing near the deputy, then padded forward and suggested, "I could find the others if you would like, Stormstar."

"That would be helpful, Thistlepond," nodded Stormstar. With a slight dip of the young warrior's head, he padded away from the leader and deputy and into the warriors' den.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you this before, Stormstar, but Fernripple wanted to talk to you about something urgent," Jaycloud recalled, looking at the stormy-grey-furred leader once more.

Stormstar nodded slightly. "Alright, I'll talk to her after we finish this patrol." Jaycloud nodded, then turned away to assign more cats to more patrols or to do some "chores" around the camp.

Soon after, Thistlepond emerged from the warriors' den with both Mousestreak and Blackstone following closely behind. Stormstar nodded in greeting to the two warriors before flicking his tail at them and then at the camp entrance. "Let's go."

With Blackstone bringing up the rear, Thistlepond and Mousestreak covered both Stormstar's flanks with the leader at the front, they set off into the shady forest, the sky covered with clouds with only a few spots of the sunshine trying to break through the thick clouds.

 _Hmm, it's unusually cloudy today,_ Stormstar thought with a quick glance at the sky.

"Where should we head first, Stormstar?" Blackstone asked. Stormstar frowned, thinking for a moment before he replied. "We'll head over to the border with DuskClan before we go to the border between us and RavenClan."

The other members of the patrol nodded in agreement before they turned slightly to the left, following their leader. They continued the long walk in silence when they finally reached the border. Mousestreak looked around, his eyes glinting as he scented the air before turning around to face his Clanmates. "DuskClan's scent seems stale, they haven't remarked the border since a few days ago."

Stormstar frowned before he commented, "Hmm, curious. The Gathering is in a few more sunrises, though. We'll be able to hear what is happening with DuskClan until then, but for now, we need to check the border we have with RavenClan and remark this one."

Mousestreak nodded in understanding before he went to go remark their side of the border. When he was done, he returned to cover Stormstar's right flank with Thistlepond to the side of him. With a sharp flick of Stormstar's stormy-grey tail, the patrol sent off once more, but now, towards the direction of RavenClan's territory.

Stormstar glanced around to check if they were near the border or not, he stopped to scent the air, narrowing his blue eyes as he did so. The others stopped as well, frowning, puzzled.

With a growl, he turned to face the cats behind him. "Fox. It's that same one the other patrol caught the scent of yesterday." The responses were the same. All of the patrolling cats narrowed their eyes, even Thistlepond unsheathed his claws and was looking around warily.

"Be careful now. The fox might be around here somewhere and won't hesitate to attack us if we let our guard down, even for a moment," advised Stormstar before he padded into some bushes. Thistlepond and Blackstone exchanged unease glances before they followed Stormstar with Mousestreak bringing up the rear, silent as usual.

Once they were nearing the border, the cats stopped once more. Instantly, a streak of red-and-ginger fur darted out from some bushes and tackled Mousestreak to the ground.

Baring its sharp teeth, the fox growled at the black tom and aimed its fangs at his throat. Were it not for Thistlepond recovering from his shock at the sudden attack and timely tackle, Mousestreak would've been in the fox's jaws, limp as a piece of fresh-kill.

Mousestreak unsteadily rose to his paws with the aid of Blackstone at his flank, supporting him while watching the fierce tussle between Thistlepond and the fox.

A few minutes into the battle, the grey tom had the fox pinned and was pushing the fox into the ground. Hearing another growl behind Blackstone, the jet black warrior quickly looked back, his teeth bared in warning.

 _Great, there's two foxes now,_ Blackstone thought as amber eyes blinked back at him, the rest of its body still hiding in the undergrowth. Just as he was prepared to leap for the second fox, a streak of stormy-grey fur was seen as Stormstar launched himself at the newcomer, his claws outstretched.

Yelping, the fox tried to dodge Stormstar's swift leap towards it, but it was to no avail. Stormstar's claws met the fox's flank while the snarling leader flipped the fox over onto its back, his claws plunging into the belly.

The fox whimpered and tried to get out of the stormy-grey cat's grip, its teeth finally meeting one of Stormstar's paws. Stormstar yowled and jerked his paw back, along with adding some more claw marks to the fox's belly and sides.

Quickly reacting to the leader's brief moment of pain, the fox wriggled free out of his grasp and limped away, blood flowing from its various wounds. Turning around, Stormstar faced his other two patrol members, Thistlepond still battling off the other fox.

"You two alright?" Stormstar asked, padding over to Blackstone and Mousestreak. They both nodded before Mousestreak casted a quick glance toward Thistlepond. Noticing, Stormstar assured quietly, "Thistlepond will be fine, he's a strong warrior." As if on cue, the fox suddenly let out a loud yowl and quickly ran away, leaving red pawprints as it darted away from the cats.

After Thistlepond let out a warning yowl to the retreating fox, he padded to his leader and Clanmates. "Is everyone alright?" he inquired, looking around at everybody. "The question is, are you all right?" Blackstone demanded, glancing over Thistlepond's body.

Thistlepond looked down at his ruffled and bloody fur and blinked. "I'm alright," he nodded after a moment of looking over himself.

"We better head back to camp, so Fernripple can look over your wounds, Thistlepond," Stormstar intervened briskly, flicking his tail from side to side. Thistlepond nodded, Blackstone and Mousestreak doing the same. With a slight jerk of his head, Stormstar padded back in the direction of the StormClan camp.

Once they entered, the cats already in the main part of the camp clearing, stopped what they were doing and gazed at Stormstar's patrol with wide eyes. Instantly, the cats rushed forward, questioning what had happened and why were Thistlepond and Stormstar injured.

Suddenly, a voice rose above the din of the Clan's multiple voices. "All right, let me through!" The cats in the middle moved off to the side so that the medicine cat could reach the battered border patrol.

With an experienced and quick glance at the patrol, she instructed, "Okay, I need the severely injured, in this case, Thistlepond, to head into my den, so I can look him over. Stormstar and Mousestreak, I need you two to stay here, since your wounds are minor and very little. However, Blackstone, go get something to eat and rest up. You aren't injured at all so you won't need any treatment."

Blackstone and Thistlepond nodded, the former padding to the warriors' den while the latter heading into the medicine den, as instructed.

"As for the rest of you," Fernripple turned around, looking at the rest of the Clan, "go with your separate businesses. Can't you see that these cats need treatment right away? However, once I'm done, you can ask all your questions. Now, go."

Jaycloud stepped forward and yowled loudly to emphasize the tortoiseshell medicine cat's order. "Alright, everyone, go! These cats need rest, not all your clamoring questions!" Muttering, the Clan broke up into small groups, resuming their chores around the camp.

Jaycloud dipped her head to Fernripple, then to Stormstar slightly before she padded away to stand beside the fresh-kill pile, monitoring the Clan while Fernripple took care of Stormstar, Thistlepond, and Mousestreak.

"Alright, let me go get some marigold and cobwebs for your wounds before I go to treat Thistlepond," Fernripple remarked before she padded into the dark recesses of her den.

Swiftly, as Fernripple had spoke to Stormstar and Mousestreak, she appeared in the entrance once more, the herbs that she had told the cats a minute ago, in her jaws.

Padding over to them, she dropped the marigold and cobwebs at her paws before she picked up a small bunch of cobwebs and beckoned to Mousestreak to come forward first.

The young black warrior did so, and as Fernripple treated his small wounds, Stormstar watched quietly and patiently. "Alright, you're good now, Mousestreak. Go get something to eat and rest up," Fernripple declared as she stepped back from the tom to observe his pelt once more. "Thanks, Fernripple," the tom smiled before he padded away.

"Alright, Stormstar, you next," beckoned the medicine cat with her tail at the stormy-grey leader.

Stormstar stepped forward and allowed the experienced tortoiseshell medicine cat treat his various wounds. Recalling what Jaycloud had told him earlier, Stormstar said, "Jaycloud said that you needed to talk to me about something, Fernripple."

"Oh, yes. But I'm afraid that will have to wait, urgent as it is, until I treat Thistlepond," Fernripple sighed, dabbing some marigold onto the wound on Stormstar's paw. Stormstar nodded, frowning in thought as he wondered what could be so important. Maybe StarClan told a message to Fernripple, Stormstar pondered.

"Alright, you're good. After I treat Thistlepond, we'll talk in your den," Fernripple added, picking up the remaining marigold leaves and cobwebs with a slight nod to Stormstar. "Alright, Fernripple."

Turning away from the medicine cat, Stormstar headed to his den, but stopping at the fresh-kill pile first to pick up a plump mouse in his jaws. With a quick glance around the clearing, the leader padded into his den, the mouse dangling from his jaws.

As Stormstar started eating the mouse, his thoughts once again, drifted to what Fernripple had to say that was so urgent. Dimly, he noticed that he had finished eating his vole, what was left of it was lying in front of his paws.

As soon as he heard pawsteps approaching his den, did he snap back to reality, glancing at the remains of the mouse before he picked them up and buried them near the back of the dark den.

"Greetings, Stormstar," Fernripple meowed, dipping her head to the tom slightly before she proceeded to sit down in front of the leader. "So, what was the urgent news you had to tell me?" Stormstar asked, looking at Fernripple, frowning.

As if in reply, Fernripple took a deep breath, sighing and flicking her long tail before she finally answered. "Last night, StarClan came to me."

Stormstar blinked and tilted his head questioningly at the medicine cat, silently urging her to go on. "Well, to be specific, Stonedust was the one who came to me. He said that StarClan has issued a new prophecy."

"A new prophecy?" inquired Stormstar, pricking his ear as he heard those words. Fernripple nodded in reply. Frowning, Stormstar urged. "Go on."

"Well, the way Stonedust said the prophecy was a little confusing, but, yet it makes sense in a way. If I seem to remember correctly, the way that he said it was: Peace will shatter and a trusted warrior will become your deadliest enemy." Fernripple said quietly, closing her amber eyes as she recalled the ominous prophecy.

 _Peace will shatter and a trusted warrior be your deadliest enemy,_ Stormstar thought over and over again. "This is troubling, indeed. Did Stonedust say who this new enemy will be?"

Fernripple shook her head, opening her eyes to gaze at her leader once she heard the question. "No, he just said a trusted warrior. And that could be anyone in the Clan, or maybe even in one of the other Clans."

Stormstar frowned before he sighed, his gaze drifting to his paws. "I will think about this. Thank you for telling me, Fernripple." With a slight gesture of his tail, Fernripple nodded once before she stood to her paws and headed out of the leader's den.

Stormstar sighed. _A new prophecy, at this time? Things must be really troubling for StarClan to issue a prophecy so soon._ As his thoughts wandered, he yawned, his eyes darting back towards the entrance to his den. _Well, guess I'll think some more about this tomorrow._ With that last thought, the stormy-grey leader tiredly curled up in his moss-nest before fitfully falling asleep, the moonlight streaming into the camp and into his den.

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, hope you liked this chapter. :3 Chapter 2 will be up soon, if I have the time to write it before I post it. As always, review, please!

~Frost


	4. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

 **Stormstar's POV:**

The clearing was bright, the half-full moon shining down on the silent and still clearing. Just then, a breeze ruffled the ferns and a stormy-grey cat appeared.

The tom looked around warily, his blue eyes narrowed. Just then, a misty outline began to form in front of the StormClan leader.

Blinking in confusion, Stormstar stepped back, his tail lashing back and forth. "Stormstar..." the outline whispered quietly, the gleam of amber eyes fixated on the leader.

"Who... Who are you?" Stormstar demanded.

"It matters not who I am, but what does matter, is what will soon happen to your Clan," the cat spoke, eyes gleaming with a fierce light.

As the misty cat spoke, Stormstar narrowed his blue eyes even further, his face beginning to twist into a snarl. "Are you from the Dark Forest?"

The misty cat began to laugh, throwing its head back, the laugh piercing the still sky with its cold edge. "As I have said before, it matters not who I am or where I come from," the cat chuckled, looking back at the snarling leader.

"Get out of my sight!" Stormstar snarled, stepping forward, his tail lashing dangerously. In reply, the misty outline of the cat smirked and said mockingly, "Farewell, Stormstar, leader of StormClan." Then with those last words, the outline disappeared completely, leaving the StormClan leader alone once again in the clearing.

 **Jaycloud's POV:**

The deputy woke up to the sound of whispering cats.

Blinking open her bright blue eyes, she looked around the warriors' den and noticed Speckwind and Ashtail talking in low voices to one another.

"Yes, but I truly believe that something is amiss in DuskClan," Ashtail whispered back worriedly. She and Speckwind had been on the patrol that had first scented DuskClan's scent growing fainter before Stormstar's patrol only specified that something was amiss.

"Well, what do you think could be wrong with DuskClan? Surely, they haven't been driven off or anything of the sort," Speckwind asked the grey she-cat.

"No, I don't think that's what's going on, Speckwind. I think they've been attacked or something," Ashtail wondered.

At that moment, Jaycloud decided to show that she was awake already. She twitched slightly, her tail flicking and yawned, sitting up. The two she-cats seemed surprised at Jaycloud's sudden wakening. "Morning, Speckwind and Ashtail," Jaycloud purred, looking at them with her bright blue eyes.

"Hello, Jaycloud," Ashtail replied, dipping her head slightly. The white she-cat did the same, smiling lightly.

"Wake the other warriors, will you?" Jaycloud asked, getting up to her paws. "I'm going to start to assemble the patrols soon." "Alright, Jaycloud," the two warriors meowed, turning to face the other sleeping warriors.

Yawning, the deputy padded out of the warriors' den and into the empty camp clearing. Well, sort of empty, considering that some apprentices were out already.

She padded to the fresh-kill pile to grab herself a plump mouse. Sitting down by the Highrock, she started eating her mouse, thinking of what the two she-cats had said before when she had barely woken up. _Is it true that DuskClan had been attacked? Or maybe it's something worse that had afflicted them..._ she thought worriedly.

Approaching pawsteps made the deputy look up, the remains of the mouse lying at her paws. Quickly, she buried them and went to clean her fur. "Good morning, Jaycloud," Mousestreak smiled slightly.

"Greetings, Mousestreak," purred the dark-grey she-cat lightly. "How are you today?"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," came the shy reply to the deputy's question. Jaycloud nodded slightly.

"Are the other warriors awake yet?"

"They're getting up now, I believe," Mousestreak reported, glancing back at the warriors' den.

"Alright, well, can you be the leader of a hunting patrol? You can choose your cats when the others come out." Mousestreak nodded before he padded to a different spot in the camp.

Soon enough, Speckwind appeared in the entrance to the warriors' den. "Speckwind," called the deputy, noticing the white she-cat.

"Yes?" Speckwind padded up to the deputy, her head tilted curiously.

"You're on the border patrol. The other cats will be accompanying you as followed: Ashtail, Pebblestone, Ripplepaw, and Maplecreek. Check around the DuskClan border and also the border we have with OwlClan. We haven't checked around there for a while," Jaycloud informed, looking at the white warrior.

"Very well, Jaycloud. I'll get the others and we'll set off immediately," Speckwind replied before she padded to where Ashtail was standing, murmuring to her in a low voice. Ashtail then nodded in understanding and went into the apprentices' cave.

 **Speckwind's POV:**

After Maplecreek and Ripplepaw arrived, we set off, heading towards the DuskClan border first before we moved onto the border with OwlClan.

Speckwind noticed that Ashtail was right beside her while the others were following behind. She turned to her friend and murmured, "Do you think DuskClan's dawn patrol will be there when we arrive?"

Ashtail thought for a moment before she replied back, keeping her voice low so as not for the others to overhear their little conversation. "I'm not sure, I mean, there's the situation with DuskClan. We don't know if they're injured or not. Maybe they've been driven off their territory."

Speckwind was shocked at the mere suggestion of DuskClan being driven off. "But what could have driven them off, if that's the case? It couldn't have been one of the other Clans. We've been at peace for over a moon now."

Ashtail shrugged, then simply said, "We don't know yet until we actually arrive at the border." Frowning, Speckwind nodded reluctantly before she turned her gaze to the path ahead.

As they neared the border, Maplecreek suddenly stopped, her amber eyes carefully neutral, but narrowed. The others stopped as well, noticing the she-cat's sudden stop.

"What is it, Maplecreek?" Pebblestone inquired, his eyes gleaming with curiousity as he gazed at the warrior.

"Do you smell that?" Maplecreek asked, turning her attention back to the patrol.

Confused, the patrol cats all sniffed the air uncertainly. It was a long moment of silence before Ashtail replied hesitantly, "Yes... it smells like a rogue has been in our territory recently."

Pebblestone flicked his ear slightly towards the breeze before nodding in agreement. "So, what should we do about it?" Ripplepaw questioned, looking up at the senior warriors. "We'll deal with it later. For now, we'll just finish the patrol," Speckwind decided, flicking her tail in thought.

The others nodded in understanding before they resumed their walk to the border. When they finally reached the border, they noticed that the scent marks were fresh, unlike yesterday and the day before.

"Huh, guess DuskClan is busy with something that's troubling them. I mean, they just refreshed their scent markers, by the smell of it," remarked Pebblestone, glancing over at DuskClan territory.

Speckwind nodded and cast a glance at Ashtail who was looking around, before Speckwind raised her tail and refreshed their side of the border.

When the patrol was about to go to the OwlClan border, they heard a distant yowl, not far from where they were at, currently. Shocked, they turned towards the noise that was coming from inside DuskClan territory. The yowl came again, but this time more louder than before.

"Come on, they might need our help!" Pebblestone raced over the border with the bewildered patrol following behind.

* * *

 **A/N:** Cliffhanger! :D So, what do you think is happening with DuskClan right now? And who do you think yowled, was it a rogue, loner, or one of the DuskClan cats? Review, please. :3


	5. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Heh, Chapter 3 is finally here. Okay, so, I'm finally on summer break, so the chapters should be posted daily, but any specific day, that, I'm not quite sure. But, I want you to know that during my summer break, I should be posting daily. And also, I have got to say that this is my longest chapter yet O.O Right, with that said and done, onto review replies~

 **Bunnyfang -** Well, if you say so... I guess I should continue it.. :3 Of course, I'm going to continue it, this is my favorite project so far :D

 **Springflower -** Hmm, you'll find out in this long chapter that I spent a lot of time on, writing. O.O Anyways, I hope you enjoy it :D I'll tell you when I should have the next chapter up. ^-^

Enjoy this chapter~

~Frost

* * *

 **Chapter 3:**

The StormClan cats raced over the terrain, their paws pounding the ground with desperation to reach where the yowl had come from.

Once further in DuskClan territory, the patrol stopped to scent the air, to see if they were going in the right direction. Speckwind swiveled her ears, her nose pointed towards the breeze that was blowing towards them.

After a long moment of silence, Speckwind called out, "Come on, I scent something over there!" She then ran off, her tail swaying in the breeze as she went.

"Let's go!" Pebblestone said to the others, preparing to run after Speckwind. As the cats followed the white she-cat, they could begin to hear the yowls of battle and terror growing closer and closer.

Just as Pebblestone, Ashtail, Maplecreek, and Ripplepaw were about to reach Speckwind, who had stopped once more to survey the surrounding, a bright flash of orange tabby fur streaked past them, making them yowl in surprise and unsheathe their claws.

"Get out of the way!" snarled the cat with the bright orange fur, whirling around to face the StormClan cats before she turned around to face whatever danger was approaching the Clan cats.

"Wait, Pondfeather, what's going on?" Ashtail tried to ask the DuskClan warrior, stepping forward. "We're under attack by a pack of savage dogs. They came into our camp, barking like mad, yesterday morning," Pondfeather replied tersely, still glancing around warily.

"How did you fend them off when they came yesterday?" Pebblestone inquired, stepping forward as well.

"We had to take cover, and by that, I mean hide in the trees that surrounds our camp before we actually came up with a plan to drive the dogs away from the camp and where some of the other warriors were waiting to launch a full-blown attack."

"Where are they now?" Ashtail asked, looking behind her shoulder as the yowls got more louder and louder.

"They're at the Moss Clearing, just a few bounds from our camp," the she-cat informed the StormClan patrol, turning around once more, her blue gaze sharp as she looked at them.

At that moment, when the orange she-cat had let her guard down slightly, a sudden flash of brown and black fur shot by the StormClan cats and tackled Pondfeather to the ground, hard.

Yowls of anger and shock erupted from the gathered StormClan cats as they prepared themselves to lunge at the dog on top of the DuskClan warrior. But, as they were about to lunge, a screech from Pondfeather stopped them in their tracks. "Go! Save the others! I got this one!" With those words, Pondfeather then thrust her back claws upwards at the dog's belly, sending it flying across the small clearing, and then got up to her paws. The dog quickly got up to its paws as well, barking madly as it watched the orange tabby's movements before lunging forward.

"But..." Pebblestone objected, his eyes narrowed dangerously as he gazed at the DuskClan she-cat. "I said, go! Or do you want to be killed?" Pondfeather snapped back at the cats, dodging a swift bite from the dog that would have been fatal.

Still tense and crouched into attack position, the StormClan patrol hesitated before Pebblestone flickered his tail at them to rise and move. "Come on, we have to find Speckwind," he murmured, turning away while casting a quick glance over his shoulder to look at the brave she-cat for what could be the last time.

Ashtail, Maplecreek, and Ripplepaw followed the grey tom reluctantly, glancing back over their shoulders as well. Once they were about to head into the undergrowth, the patrol stopped once more to look at the cat they had just left behind to fend for her life. They watched a few seconds of the intense battle between the dog and the orange DuskClan cat before they turned away. May StarClan be with you, Pondfeather, Pebblestone thought silently as he turned to lead the patrol into the Moss Clearing, where hopefully, Speckwind will be and the remnants of DuskClan.

Hearing a loud warning yowl just up ahead, the cats broke into a brisk yet swift run, their tails flowing out behind them as they raced across the misty area, storm clouds moving in slowly with their bellies a dark blue-grey. Thunder crashed around the cats as they desperately and determinedly searched for their missing comrade and the cats of DuskClan.

Once they came to a slight dip in the ground, the cats stopped to survey the area warily. The tension was almost palpable and silence once again, took its hold on the StormClan cats. Sniffing the air, Pebblestone looked around from side to side, his tail lashing behind him and the fur on his shoulders beginning to bristle.

He then cast a swift glance over his shoulder to look at his fellow Clanmates. Ashtail and Maplecreek were both scenting the air while the blue-grey apprentice was shifting her paws slightly, but nervously. Seeing this, Pebblestone flicked his tail at the two she-cats to keep trying to locate where DuskClan and Speckwind could be, Pebblestone padded back to where Ripplepaw was standing.

Once he got closer, the grey warrior could see that the young apprentice's shoulders were trembling. Whether with fear or sadness, he couldn't tell. "Hello, Ripplepaw," he mewed softly, looking down at the blue-grey apprentice. This made her look up quickly, surprise flitting over her face before it disappeared as quickly as it came. "Oh, hello, Pebblestone," she murmured quietly, looking down again.

"What's wrong, Ripplepaw?" Pebblestone crouched down to the ground to get on eye level with Ripplepaw. "It's nothing," Ripplepaw replied, still not wanting to meet the grey warrior's sky-blue gaze. "Now you know that's not true," Pebblestone said calmly. "You can trust me, Ripplepaw."

"I know, Pebblestone."

"Then, what is wrong?" Pebblestone inquired, tilting his head slightly to the left as he continued looking at the young she-cat.

"Well, it's just..." Ripplepaw hesitated for a moment, her eyes darting away from the curious warrior.

"Just, what?"

"It's silly," Ripplepaw murmured, her eyes still averted from Pebblestone's sky-blue gaze.

"Nothing is silly, Ripplepaw. Now tell me what you mean," Pebblestone instructed, gently but firmly.

"It's just, sometimes I wonder, if we can all make it back alive from this," the apprentice answered reluctantly, her head lowered as her ears flattened against her head.

Pebblestone was a little surprised at the apprentice's thought, but he answered, "We will make it back alive from this battle, Ripplepaw. StormClan will never back down from a challenge, whether it's easy or not."

"I know, but it's still worrying me that we might not. That someone might even die."

"There are always chances of someone dying everyday, but we just learn to live with it and simply move on, however tragic the death was," Pebblestone said softly to the young apprentice he was looking down upon.

Ripplepaw sighed and shifted her paws slightly, choosing not to respond to that statement she knew was true. Pebblestone frowned, then remarked, "The more violent the storm, the quicker it passes."

The blue-grey apprentice looked up at the warrior with confusion flickering in her eyes. "What?"

"The more violent the storm, the quicker it passes," Pebblestone repeated, his gaze turning distant as he recalled those specific words.

"But what does that mean, though?" Ripplepaw persisted, her eyes still flickering with interest. Pebblestone snapped back to attention, looking at the she-cat once more. Instead of answering her question directly, he asked, "Do you know who told me those words that I just said?"

Ripplepaw shook her head, clearly still bewildered. "My old mentor said those to me. She was a great mentor and a great warrior, she was also very courageous and had served her Clan until it was simply her time. But turning back to the topic at hand, those words mean much more than what you had heard, Ripplepaw. They speak of obstacles that are in another cat's path and them moving quickly, however violent or dangerous or even tempting they may be. Do you understand?"

"Sort of... but not much," Ripplepaw replied, her head tilting slightly.

"Alright, well, think about a storm. A storm is normally violent or sometimes dangerous to be in, right?" Pebblestone inquired quietly. In reply, Ripplepaw nodded slowly, wondering where the grey tom was going with this.

"And a storm always moves on quickly, after it 'dispels' some of its violence into the world, whether it's thunder, rain or snow. It's the same with obstacles that are there for a specific cat or for a specific Clan. These dogs," Pebblestone gestured out where DuskClan was supposedly reported to be along with Speckwind, with his tail before continuing, "they are simply another obstacle that are in DuskClan's path, and it is their job to meet it with courage and honor as warriors. Faith also comes into play here because without faith in our warrior ancestors, where would we be in this world? We won't have the warrior code to live and follow by, we'll simply just be rogues in a pack who have no honor for ourselves and for others. That is why we must have faith in StarClan that the obstacles in each of our paths, whether it's only one cat or a whole Clan, they must meet it with courage, honor, and above all, faith."

After the brief lecture from Pebblestone, Ripplepaw was silent as she gazed in wonder at the grey warrior while pondering over the things that he had said.

Pebblestone was silent as well, understanding that Ripplepaw needed a few moments of silence as she pondered over his words. After a brief few moments of thick silence hanging in the misty air, he asked Ripplepaw, almost solemnly, "Do you understand now by what I told you what my mentor had told me a long time ago, Ripplepaw?"

Hesitating, Ripplepaw shifted her paws again as she thought some more. A few heartbeats later, she nodded, finally understanding what the senior warrior had meant by "The more violent the storm, the quicker it passes."

"Good, now we must get back to Maplecreek and Ashtail before they wonder what we're talking about," Pebblestone remarked lightly, rising up to his paws, motioning for Ripplepaw to follow. Ripplepaw stood up as well, although slowly, and made her way over to where the three warriors were standing.

"Have you scented anything new, Maplecreek?" Pebblestone asked, his eyes glancing at the white she-cat stood beside him. "Not yet, it seems that DuskClan, the dogs, and possibly Speckwind if she's with them of course, have moved further on for some reason."

"Hm, interesting," Pebblestone murmured, frowning as he glanced around the small misty clearing, opening his mouth slightly to let the scents reach the roof of his mouth. "Wait, I smell something," Ashtail broke in, her eyes narrowed and her tail lashing.

At this, Ripplepaw grew alert, and quickly glanced around, her claws unsheathing and sheathing nervously. "What is it, Ashtail?" Pebblestone turned to the grey she-cat, frowning.

"I smell something strange, like a scent we had scented before, but it's a little different," Ashtail struggled to explain the new scent that had wafted over to the tense patrol. Maplecreek scowled and sharply inquired, "Is it a cat?"

Ashtail nodded slightly, remaining calm, but the tip of her tail was twitching showing that she was nervous yet angry. Pebblestone frowned, then opened his mouth once more, allowing the scent to wash over him. "Wait, I know that scent. It's the scent we scented earlier before we heard the yowl that obviously came from a DuskClan cat."

Instantly, the bushes rustled slightly and Maplecreek sharply looked at the bushes behind her, her amber eyes narrowed dangerously and her claws automatically unsheathing. "Wait," Pebblestone murmured to the crouching white she-cat. She spared a glance at her fellow warrior before her gaze darted back to the bush.

Quietly and quickly as he could manage, Pebblestone moved away from the patrol and to the nearest tree. "What's he doing?" Ripplepaw asked Ashtail, her eyes wide. As if in reply, Ashtail rolled her moss-green eyes, automatically knowing what her brother was doing. "He's going to try to sneak up behind the cat, or whatever it is that's behind the bush, and chase him out here where we're waiting."

Meanwhile, Pebblestone was nearing the cat who crouched behind the bushes, lowering into a crouch as he got nearer and nearer. Now, he could tell who was crouching behind the bush. It was a white she-cat with three scars on her flank. From the scent that he and his Clanmates had scented, she was a rogue. _But what is she doing here?_ Pebblestone thought, confused.

Deciding to move his plan along, he let out a small hiss which alerted the rogue she-cat and quickly turned around, her face twisted in a snarl. Pebblestone snarled, "What are you doing here?" The she-cat gazed at him for a long moment, her cold dark-brown eyes calculating and glinting with a fierce light.

"Well, that depends. You choose what I'm here for, to either fight you and take your group down or to fight you and take you away from here to a cat who very much wants you," the she-cat's voice was sharp as she addressed Pebblestone, her jagged claws digging into the damp earth, wisps of mists swirling around her, making her look like a cat from the Dark Forest.

Pebblestone was inwardly confused at that last statement, but he didn't let it show on his face. _To a cat who very much wants me? For what?_ With a slight chill, Pebblestone gazed at the rogue before stating, "You're going to have to defeat me and my patrol down first before you do anything."

The rogue she-cat shrugged as if in response. "Your choice." Without a warning, she leapt at the grey warrior who instinctively rolled over onto his back, exposing his soft belly. Hissing, she landed behind him, and turned around to face the tom that was getting up to his paws. "Not as easy as you thought, huh?" Pebblestone remarked lightly, unsheathing his own claws and locking his calm sky-blue eyes with her dark-brown ones.

"Be quiet and I will grant you a merciful killing of your precious patrol when I'm done with you," she snarled before she leapt once more, her outstretched claws aiming toward his shoulder. Swiftly, Pebblestone leapt out of the way, but only to be met with a slash from jagged claws along his side. He yowled in pain and staggered slightly, shaking his head to clear his swaying vision. The warrior turned around to face the smirking she-cat and hissing, charged at her and reared up onto his back legs, before he raked at her face with his claws.

The white she-cat dodged slightly to the left to avoid most of the blow, but got a slash underneath her dark-brown eye. Calmly, she shook her head, clearing the left side of her face of the blood that was dripping down onto her muzzle and staining the grass red. Like an adder striking, she leapt for his throat when he was lowering onto his paws, wincing slightly at the pain in his flank.

Pebblestone looked at the approaching she-cat and narrowed his eyes, turning to his side. Once the rogue met him full on, he then was thrown to the ground in a heap, jagged claws pricking at his back and the upper part of his neck. Growling, he flipped over only to be greeted by a slash of long and jagged claws which dragged themselves down into his neck and stopping at his back.

Gasping with sharp pain, Pebblestone tried to get himself up onto his paws, but failed and fell to the ground, his muzzle hitting the dewy grass with a slight muffled thump. Feeling paws on his shoulders and being slightly rolled over so he was on his back, he stared up at the rogue she-cat with a flicker of anger in his sky-blue gaze.

"So, the noble warrior, beaten by a rogue cat who only delivered a few scratches. Hm, how far we've fallen, my friend," the she-cat drawled in amusement, still keeping her grip on Pebblestone firm and strong. "So, what's your name? I can't take you to the cat who very much wants you without giving him your name first."

Pebblestone grunted with pain and shifted slightly, hoping to throw the she-cat slightly off balance, but to no avail, she kept her grip on his shoulders strong, her claws pricking through his fur. Pebblestone inwardly sighed, then muttered mutinously, "Pebblestone."

"Hm, Pebblestone's your name, then. If you're curious, which I'm sure you are, the name's Ratberry," the she-cat, who Pebblestone now know as Ratberry, commented, keeping her cold and calculating dark-brown gaze fixed onto Pebblestone.

Pebblestone didn't answer and Ratberry shrugged, lowering her head slightly. "Oh. And this is going to hurt." She then dug her claws even deeper into Pebblestone's shoulders which elicited a yowl from Pebblestone, his paws flailing to throw the she-cat off of him. Smirking, she whispered into his ear, "'Night, Pebblestone." Without hesitation, she sank her fangs into his neck, making the warrior draw a long rattling breath as he struggled to breathe with Ratberry's strong grip on his neck.

Pebblestone struggled to keep consciousness, but failed as his eyes begin to close, the darkness overwhelming him as he slipped into the murky blackness of the night.

* * *

 **A/N:** *Gasp* I can't believe I did that, I'm so evil. :O But anyways, setting the drama aside, do you think that Pebblestone is truly dead or just unconscious? And who is this cat that would very much like Pebblestone that Ratberry mentioned? As always, review!~

~Frost


	6. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait, I was busy with other stuff. But other than that, Chapter 4 has finally arrived :D

 **Springflower:** Heh, in my defense, it was a good cliffhanger to leave off of on. ):D

 **Captain Scar:** Thank you :D Hope you enjoy this next chapter!~

 **Spiritflash:** Hehe, I'm so evil XD

 **Jaywing:** Of course I'm going to continue, enjoy this next one. It might even fulfill your wish :D

Now, with that out of the way, onto the story~

 **~Frost**

 **Chapter 4:**

 **Speckwind's POV:**

As Speckwind raced across the misty clearing, she could hear pawsteps pounding the ground behind her. _Hmm, it must be Pebblestone and the others following me,_ Speckwind thought as she stopped for a moment to look around.

In the distance, she could hear the barks of dogs and the screeches and yowls that obviously belonged to DuskClan cats. _I have to help them!_ the thought flashed in Speckwind's mind as she took off running once more.

After a while of running, the white StormClan she-cat finally stopped and started swiveling her ears from side to side, hopefully to distinguish where DuskClan was currently at.

Speckwind glanced over her shoulder and noticed that her Clanmates weren't behind her as she had heard earlier. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she turned back around, this time opening her jaws to scent the air.

This time, the barks and yowls were getting closer and it appeared as if they were moving towards Speckwind's location. Speckwind tilted her head slightly, her tail flicking restlessly behind her.

As she looked around the area more closely, a rustle in some nearby bushes caught Speckwind's attention. Flickering her ear, she stayed silent and started to head toward the bush. Once she got nearer, she could hear some gasping and quick inhalings of air.

Moving slowly yet warily now, Speckwind headed straight for the bush and whatever was behind it. Once she padded in, she could see that wisps of mist were swirling around the thick canopy of trees, the clouds hanging above, low as the crackling of thunder could be heard.

In front of Speckwind, a cat was lying limply on her side, her flanks heaving with each intake of breath she took in. The white StormClan she-cat gasped in shock and rushed over to the DuskClan cat's side. "Shellstep! What happened?!"

The DuskClan cat raised her head slightly, locking her amber gaze with Speckwind's gentle brown eyes. "Don't worry, Speckwind. I'll be in StarClan soon with Riverstride," Shellstep spoke hoarsely.

"No, you can't die!" Speckwind cried, pressing her nose into the dying cat's shoulder. "Do not fret, Speckwind, for this is simply a part of life," Shellstep simply answered, resting her head on the damp grass once more.

"But..." Speckwind tried to object, but was cut off by Shellstep. "I said do not fret, Speckwind, soon I will be reunited with Riverstride. I know this is hard, but it's a part of life that we must learn to move on from."

Speckwind stayed silent, only gazing at the DuskClan cat sadly. Finally, the StormClan cat spoke, "May you reach StarClan swiftly, Shellstep."

Shellstep nodded slightly before she drew a long shuddering breath, her eyes still locked onto Speckwind's. The white she-cat watched as Shellstep took her last breath before her amber eyes closed and her flanks grew still, no longer heaving with breath.

Sadly and silently, Speckwind picked up Shellstep's limp body and padded over to an area that had trees growing close to one another. Setting the dead DuskClan cat down gently, Speckwind looked for a spot to bury the loyal warrior.

Glimpsing a small space in the cluster of trees, Speckwind grabbed Shellstep by the scruff and began to carry her toward the burial spot. Setting Shellstep down once more, Speckwind started to dig a hole just deep enough to hold Shellstep.

Once Speckwind had thought that the hole was deep enough, she headed back to where the former DuskClan cat was lying. Securing a strong grip on Shellstep's scruff, Speckwind began to half-carry and half-drag her towards the hole and climbed down.

Sighing, the white StormClan cat pressed her nose into her former friend's ever-growing cold shoulder fur for the last time before she started to climb back out. Once she was out, Speckwind began to fill the hole in with the hard earth that she had dug up before.

Casting a quick glance over her shoulder, Speckwind turned away from the mound and started to head in another direction, dimly wondering if her Clanmates were safe or not. _May StarClan be with them, wherever they are._

 **Ratberry's POV:**

Smirking with satisfaction, the rogue she-cat gazed down at the motionless StormClan warrior, her dark-brown eyes betraying nothing. _Hmph, he could have at least put up more of a fight. After all, these Clan cats are supposed to be warriors, not kits struggling to stay on their little paws,_ Ratberry thought derisively with a twitch of her tail.

Ratberry glanced around at the mossy clearing, her paws kneading the damp earth impatiently, her claws still red with the StormClan cat's blood. With a small huff, the rogue flicked her cold gaze back to the tom lying before her. _Hm, soon his little Clan friends will come running if they don't see him after a while. Then again, it would be better off if I get going if I'm going to reach the hills by dusk._

With that last thought, Ratberry moved to grab Pebblestone's scruff with some slight adjusting here and there. Once she had a firm grip on the warrior's scruff, Ratberry looked around once more before she plunged into the dense undergrowth, the mist parting as she broke through them, Pebblestone still lying limp in her strong jaws.

With the mist swirling thickly around her, Ratberry couldn't even see. Without her sharp eyesight that she prided on, she was practically blind. Stumbling a few times, she trekked through the thick undergrowth until she finally stopped for a breather.

In the distance behind her, Ratberry could hear the yowls of other cats. Perhaps it's the quarreling Clan cats with those mousebrain dogs, mused Ratberry. Though it could be the Clanmates of this one, she added silently with a prod of her paw on Pebblestone's flank.

Raising her head to scent the air more clearly, the white she-cat glanced around warily before turning her gaze back to the motionless tom whose flanks were rising up and down with each breath he took.

Frowning, she kept her cold and calculating gaze on the StormClan warrior before she wordlessly picked up his scruff once more and resumed walking.

Once she realized that she was almost at the edge of DuskClan territory, Ratberry lashed her tail slowly before she set the grey tom down and moved to scent the air.

Perking her ears up, Ratberry caught sight of a rustling bush and a scent drifted lazily towards her. Hissing under her breath, she whirled around and grabbed the StormClan tom by his scruff and carried him towards a nearby bush that should conceal him well.

Once Ratberry had covered Pebblestone's body with ferns, she glanced back over her shoulder before she darted to a tree and started climbing, her jagged claws digging into the bark.

Swiftly leaping to a branch, Ratberry crouched, waitiing tensely for the cats to intoduce themselves. Soon enough, they did.

With faint interest, Ratberry noticed that they were DuskClan cats, scarred and bloody, but strong and proud. _Shouldn't they be fighting the dogs, intead of wandering around?_ Ratberry though derisivly as she watched them silently.

The leader of the patrol, a white tom with dark amber eyes, called something over his shoulder at the cats behind him. With nods from the assembled cats, the patrol headed in the direction where Ratberry had traveled.

Once the patrol were out of Ratberry's sight, she leapt down silently and padded over to where she had hid Pebblestone.

Padding through the thick bush, her cold dark-brown gaze swept over the place where she assumed the StormClan warrior laid.

The rogue she-cat lashed her tail slowly as she realized that the tomcat was missing. Narrowing her eyes and unsheathing her claws, Ratberry noticed some claw marks near her.

Hissing in frustration, the white she-cat examined the marks more closely. _Hm, from the looks and the depth of the claw marks, he must have regained consciousness and dragged himself away._

The she-cat looked up, her gaze cold and calculating as ever. "Pebblestone's alive," Ratberry muttered mutinously.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yay, our little Pebblestone is alive! :D Now, for Chapter 5, whose POV do you want to read? Doesn't matter which Clan they're from, as long as I can write them XD **Review~**

 **~Frost**


	7. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Okay, sorry for the wait, I was super busy throughout the week, but I did work on the chapter at times, then I finally got some extra time to finish it. So here you go!

 **Captain Scar:** Okay, hopefully, I'll do her in the next chapter.

 **Jaywing:** Oh wow... Hope this chapter satisfies you.

 **Springflower:** XD Wow.. I'll do her in the next chapter. To be honest, I'm kind of excited to do her POV since it's probably going to be a challenge writing hers.

Enjoy Chapter 5!

 **~Frost**

 **Chapter 5:**

 **Pebbestone's POV:**

Stumbling a few times, he rose to his paws and started to limp away, leaving deep claw marks where he had stumbled, then catching himself. He let out a low sigh, flinching in pain at his wounds, but continued trekking through the lush forest.

His breaths soon became ragged and shaky as he plundered through the thick undergrowth, desperate to reach his Clanmates. Stepping into a warm patch of sunshine that was pouring through the tree branches above, Pebblestone glanced over his torn and bleeding shoulder to check if he's truly alone and not being followed by the hostile she-cat.

The grey warrior breathed a sigh of relief as he found that he was alone, then continued walking, his pace shaky as he fought to stay standing on his paws.

Small, black dots danced in the corner of his vision, Pebblestone shook his head to clear it. He soon stopped as the throbbing in his head grew more violent. Groaning, he shook his head one last time before he continued.

As he got closer to what he believed to be where his Clanmates still stood waiting, worried voices drifted over to him on the wind. "Where is he?!" "I don't know, maybe we should keep looking."

The last voice he was sure that it was Ashtail speaking. Joy flared inside of him at the prospect of seeing his friends again.

Now coughing a few times, he paused in his tracks to catch his breath. His tail tip twitched slightly as a cool breeze ruffled his fur, making him turn his muzzle to the breeze. For a few moments, he stood there, scenting the air when he heard the cracking of twigs and the soft footfalls of pawsteps.

Turning his head toward the noise, he tensed up, assuming that Ratberry had come to find him.

"Pebblestone?" A voice mewed questioningly as the cat drew nearer to him.

Smiling slightly, he relaxed and padded forward a few steps. "It's me, Ashtail," he spoke, his voice having a rasp to it.

A streak of grey fur could be seen as Ashtail darted out of the undergrowth and came face to face with her brother. Meeting the delighted moss-green gaze that was his sister, he smiled slightly.

Glancing over her shoulder, Ashtail called to the other, "Come here! It's Pebblestone!" With that said, two cats burst out from the thick undergrowth, their tails flicking restlessly back and forth.

"Pebblestone!" Ripplepaw exclaimed happily, padding over to him. Maplecreek smiled and followed Ripplepaw, her gaze glancing over Pebblestone's bloody and ruffled pelt.

"Well, what happened?" Ashtail now spoke tersely as she, too, glanced over him.

Chuckling softly, Pebblestone replied, "I'll tell you later."

Frowning, Ashtail said slowly, "Alright, then. Well, we should go and search for Speckwind. She's been gone for too long now."

"No need to look for me, Ashtail," a voice announced, the cat stepping out of a bush. "Speckwind!" The three cats' voices burst out of their owners, becoming a unified voice as they gazed disbelievingly at the she-cat.

Grinning, the white she-cat padded forward and stopped at where the semi-circle that had formed around Pebblestone, began. "Nice to see you again, Pebblestone. Let me guess, did you single-handedly fought with a cat or a dog telling the others," at this, Speckwind gestured with her tail to the other she-cats, "to stay back and let you handle it?"

Blinking a few times, Pebblestone remained silent. After a minute, he spoke, "It was a cat. And how did you know this?"

"I told you, I guessed," Speckwind grinned.

"You know me too well, my friend."

"Yes, yes, I do. Well, stop staring at me, I'm not something to be gawked at, now am I?" Speckwind smiled, a teasing note underneath her tone.

"What happened when you ran off?" Maplecreek spoke, breaking her silence.

"That's a long story, so I'm not going to tell you it here. Especially since it seems some dogs are heading this way. Probably fleeing from the DuskClan cats," Speckwind remarked, tipping her head back in the direction that she had appeared.

As if on cue, the thumping of big paws hitting the ground hit the assembled cats' ears. "Hide!" Speckwind hissed, darting up a tree.

The others followed with haste in their attempt to shield themselves with the dense brush from their soon-to-be attackers.

The crackling of twigs snapping underneath the dogs' large paws grew louder and louder. The StormClan cats watched with bated breath as three dogs burst out into the open.

Barking like mad, the dogs stopped for a moment, sniffing the air with their noses, their heads tipped back slightly. Maplecreek and Pebblestone, who were both in the same tree, stiffened as one of the dogs turned in their direction.

With a loud howl, the dog turned to run toward the tree, where it knew its enemies were hiding. Pebblestone gave a sharp nudge to Maplecreek, gesturing with his tail to the branch above them. Nodding slightly, she bunched up her hindlegs before she sprang to the higher branch.

As soon as Maplecreek had jumped, the dog leapt into the air, its paws aiming towards the branch that Pebblestone was currently on still. Swiftly turning around, the grey warrior leapt as well, ignoring the waves of pain that were coming from his wounds.

"That was close there," Maplecreek commented, grabbing his scruff in her jaws and hauling him up more fully on the thick branch. In response, Pebblestone shrugged his shoulders, his gaze darting to the dog who had jumped.

Disconcerted by its miss, the dog walked back and forth the oak tree that held the two StormClan cats, once in a while barking at its comrades who were doing the same, each at one of the tree that housed at least one or two Clan cats.

Pebblestone frowned, glancing at the other trees that held his Clanmates. "Now what are we going to do?" Maplecreek hissed angrily, her amber-eyed trained on the three dogs.

"Hmm.." Pebblestone hummed slightly, his head tilted slightly. "Well, we can't just drop down and attack, that would be reckless."

"So, what do you suggest we should do?" Maplecreek asked, looking at him.

"Well, I think we should just wait."

Maplecreek stayed silent, her mouth open in protest. Pebblestone, who noticed, chuckled in amusement.

"I know it sounds mousebrain, but we don't have any other choice. Unless, you want to do the other option which will most likely result in you going to StarClan," he pointed out, meeting the white warrior's gaze steadily.

"Fine, we'll do it your way then," Maplecreek responded after a few moments of brief silence.

Pebblestone nodded and turned to watch the dogs' movements silently. Feeling Maplecreek's stare on his turned back, he regarded her calmly.

The she-cat rolled her eyes before peering at the other trees, her tail flicking slowly from side to side.

Faint yowls in the distance drew closer, the mist swirling thickly around the two cats huddled in the oak tree. Noticing the dogs' pace was slowing slightly caught Pebblestone's attention.

A bush rustled nearby making the heads of the StormClan cats shoot up in alarm. _Surely not more dogs?_

Crouching low to the tree branch, minding the edge, Maplecreek kept her gaze on the three dogs while Pebblestone regarded the bush that had rustled warily.

His tail flicking restlessly behind him, he kept his demeanor calm and alert. The bush rustled once more, the yowls growing ever closer.

Now, the dogs stopped in their tracks, swinging their broad heads to inspect the clearing with confusion clouding their gazes. The tension in the small clearing was palpable, the brief silence broken only by the yowls.

The StormClan cats bristled as one, staying in their separate trees. Pebblestone gripped the bark of the branch with unsheathed claws tensely, his neck fur raised.

The seconds dragged on, soon turning into long minutes. A gusty wind ruffled the cats' pelts accompanied by the mist creeping closer to them.

Maplecreek carefully watched the dogs' individual movements silently, her tail now lashing behind her, ruffling some of the leaves.

Once when the dogs had crept closer to what they thought was the source of all the yowling, a long low keening sound erupted from the trees.

* * *

 **A/N:** Cliffhanger! So, what do you think the keening sound is? In other words, what do you think who or what made that sound? I'm currently working on Chapter 6 so be on the lookout for that. Also, put POV ideas for Chapter 7, if you like. Until next time!

 **~Frost**


	8. Chapter 6

_**Captain Scar:**_ Um, okay then..

 _ **Springflower:**_ XD Well, here you go!

* * *

 **Ratberry's POV:**

Growling under her breath, her claws unsheathed automatically, ears flattening. The she-cat looked up for a moment, her dark-brown eyes glittering.

 _Great, now what do I do?_ She thought angrily, her claws scoring deep marks into the moist earth. _He's expecting me by sunhigh and that's not far away._

With thoughts whirling in her head, Ratberry sheathed her jagged claws reluctantly, straightening up until she rose to her full height. Surveying her surroundings with narrowed eyes, she stepped back a step and stood there for a few moments.

 _You might have gotten away this time, but next time, I swear by the stars I will get you,_ Ratberry swore silently, wiping her features of any emotion. With that, she whirled around, sending some loose earth flying over to the tracks where the tom had escaped, soon covering it until it looked as if no one had been there at all.

The she-cat inspected the area once more before she started to run in the direction of the border that lay between DuskClan and RavenClan, all the while thinking of what was going to happen once she met up with the cats.

 _No doubt he'll be displeased, that's for sure_ , Ratberry thought, quickening her pace a little. A few times, Ratberry caught the faint scent of cats approaching, but they moved on quickly afterwards.

Upon reaching the border, the rogue she-cat scented the air for any signs of Clan cats approaching, but found none. Satisfied, she started to skirt the edges of the border-line until she came to a bare clearing.

Smirking slightly, she ran across it, the cold wind ruffling her sleek fur. Now, she could see the Twolegplace in the distance. Running towards it, she became uneasier with each step she took, even though it didn't show on her scarred features.

Slowing down, she trotted toward the edge of the city, stopping once she had reached it. Frowning, she glanced up at the sky, noting that it was already sunhigh. _Just in time._

Turning her attention back to the city, she waited impatiently, kneading the ground with her paws subtly. A clatter of something dropping caught the white she-cat's attention.

"Why, hello there," a silky voice reached her pricked ears. Emotionlessly, she turned toward the noise, her eyes examining the cat who had spoken.

He was a black tom with a splotch of white on his tail. His intense amber eyes stared at Ratberry, tracing her outline. "Ratberry, right?" he spoke, his voice as smooth as the next boulder.

Ratberry rolled her eyes before replying, "Of course I'm Ratberry."

The tom nodded once before beckoning over to her. "He's been expecting you."

She sized up the tom once more before she padded over to him, dodging some Twoleg things that were lying on the hard ground. Without another word, the black tom set off, heading for one of the alleys. Ratberry followed, unease settling inside of her once more.

Ducking into the dark alley, her sharp gaze fixated on the tom in front of her. Rounding another bend, they came upon a big clearing, where they were met with stares and the sounds of unsheathed claws scaping across the hard earth.

"Scorch, I see you've brought Ratberry," a deep voice meowed. Like a stream, the gathered cats parted to make way for the black tom now known as Scorch and Ratberry.

Standing before the tom who had spoken, Scorch dipped his head slightly before answering, "She was there, but she seems to be alone."

With a deep hum, the tom turned his gaze on the white she-cat who had stayed silent throughout the whole exchange. Ratberry dared not to flinch in front of the tom, so she met the gaze silently yet defiantly.

The tom was of a ginger color with black eartips and a black tail-tip. His scorching yellow gaze, which were trained on Ratberry, was of a smoldering fire yellow color.

"So, Scorch tells me that you're alone," the tom spoke at last, breaking the silence that had enveloped all of the cats.

Slightly, Ratberry nodded, her tail tip twitching nervously, but he didn't take notice. "I did manage to knock him unconscious for a short while, but he escaped when we ran into a slight trouble."

He hummed again, his voice a deep rumble. "That is most unfortunate."

Ratberry stayed silent, her tail now lashing slowly from side to side.

Still keeping his smoldering yellow glare on Ratberry, the ginger tom ordered in a clipped voice to the cats who stood watching, "Leave us. Except for you, Scorch and Aiko."

Muttering, the cats who hadn't been called slinked away into the shadows, leaving the four cats alone in the clearing. Scorch stood on the left side of the white she-cat while Aiko stood on her right, gazing up at their leader wordlessly.

"Do you know what I do to cats who have failed to do what they were told?" the leader spoke, curling his long tail slightly.

Unease roiled in her stomach, Ratberry shook her head slowly. _This isn't going to end well.._

"No? Well, first and foremost, you must know that I do not, in any shape or form, accept failure. And in my eyes, _Ratberry_ ," her name curled off of the tom's tongue like it was a vile piece of prey, "you have failed in your task to bring me the StormClan warrior."

Now, the ginger tom leaned back and beckoned with his tail to the two toms, smiling pleasantly as if they were just discussing the weather. In unison, the two toms turned toward Ratberry, their claws unsheathing and their eyes gleaming with suppressed excitement.

"Kill her."

* * *

 **Ivykit's POV:**

The sound of her mother rising from her nest woke the brown kit. Blinking open her eyes, even though one was blind, Ivykit lifted her head drowsily.

Yawning, the little kit gazed around at the semi-empty nursery. She and her mother were the only ones in the nursery since there weren't expecting queens at the moment.

"Morning, Ivykit," a voice reached her small ears, purring. Ivykit glanced up at her mother who was looking down at her warmly with love flashing in her eyes.

Breezeblossom smiled and then said, "You can go out and play with some of the apprentices, if you like."

Ivykit blinked and nodded quickly, rising from her nest. "Thanks, mother!" As she slipped out of the nursery entrance, her mother's voice called out to her, "Be careful, though!"

"I will," Ivykit promised, turning around before she directed her attention to the camp clearing. At the entrance that led into the forest, Stormstar and Jaycloud could be seen conversing quietly in low murmurs.

Some warriors were lying about, talking to each other, all the while flashing quick glances at the leader and deputy.

Mousestreak was just coming out of the warriors' den when he spotted Ivykit. Veering from his path to the fresh-kill pile, he headed toward her, smiling warmly. "Hello, Ivykit," he purred, bending his head down to lick her between the ears.

Ivykit shifted her small paws uncomfortably as her father licked her between her ears. "Hi, father," she meowed as he stopped grooming her.

"How are you today, Ivykit?" he asked, smiling warmly as he gazed down at his kit. The brown she-kit shrugged slightly, making a noncommittal noise in her throat.

Mousestreak smiled in amusement before saying, "Well, I have to go on patrol now. Tell Breezeblossom I dropped by and said "hello" to her."

Ivykit nodded before she watched him head to the other warriors beside the fresh-kill pile. Her blue gaze was wistful as if she couldn't imagine her being a warrior. _I'll be the best warrior there is in StormClan, even with my limited sight._

Watching the camp clearing in front of the nursery entrance, Ivykit moved to lie down on her side, resting her head on her small paws. Stormstar and Jaycloud drifted closer to the warriors' den, still muttering under their breaths.

The nursery was close to the warriors' den with the apprentices' den beside it, so Ivykit could half hear what the leader and his deputy were talking about. Pricking her ears slightly, she listened curiously.

"The border patrol hasn't returned yet. I sent them out at dawn and now it's sunhigh. I fear something may have happened to them." Jaycloud was speaking, turning to face Stormstar with worried blue eyes.

"Our territory isn't that big, so they should have returned by now," the dark-grey she-cat pointed out.

Stormstar was nodding slowly in agreement, frowning in thought. "Perhaps they ran into some trouble that kept them from returning."

"Maybe, but if they did, then they would have sent a cat to tell us."

"That is true," Stormstar agreed. "Send a few cats out to look for the others. Whatever they ran into, they should have left a trail for us to follow."

Jaycloud dipped her head in assent before calling to the warriors. "Thistlepond and Blackstone, go and search for the others who hasn't returned. If they are in trouble, then help them, but send one of you to come and get us for back-up."

The two toms nodded to each other before racing out of the Clan camp. Ivykit frowned faintly, watching the two warriors bound out of the semi-full camp.

Yawning, her thoughts wandered over to the conversation that she had just heard. _I hope they'll be alright._ Dimly, she noticed that her mother was approaching her.

"Why aren't you playing, Ivykit?" her mother asked, settling down beside her kit.

For the second time that day, Ivykit shrugged before replying, "I didn't feel like it, I guess."

"Oh, well, you look a mite tired. How about you go get some rest?"

Ivykit opened her mouth to say that she wasn't tired at all before a yawn interrupted her. Amusement flickered in her mother's eyes before she ordered, "Just what I figured. Now go get some rest."

Ivykit rose to her paws before she headed inside the warm nursery. Padding over to her nest that was beside her mother's, she curled up in it, her tail resting over her nose.

As she drifted off to a light sleep, one thought followed her. _I'm going to be an apprentice tomorrow and I can't wait!_

* * *

 **Okay, so, that was Chapter 6. Nothing much to say here, except that I am working on the next chapter, and should have that posted soon.**


	9. Chapter 7

**Captain Scar:** Yeah.. I might or might not... Guess you'll have to find out when I finally post the next chapter. And can't wait for you to resume writing your stories!

 **Springflower:** She is, isn't she? :3 Hehe, I'm so evil to my cats. XD This isn't the start of my "evil-ness" though, Springy. :3

Enjoy the chapter!

 **~Frost**

* * *

 **Pebblestone's POV:**

The grey fur along his spine rose up, bristling as the keening sound went on for another minute before it abruptly stopped, silence sinking its claws into the forest once more.

Feeling a sharp nudge in his side, Pebblestone glanced at the she-cat beside him. "Quick, while the dogs are distracted!" With that, Maplecreek leapt off of the tree branch and onto the forest floor, quickly bolting away into the shadows.

Seeing his Clan members do the same, Pebblestone leaped off of the low hanging branch, his paws making a soft thudding noise on the mossy ground. Glancing behind his now bleeding shoulder, he stretched out his legs and began to run, hearing pawsteps behind him.

Once the warrior was safely in the shadows of the trees, Pebblestone slowed his pace until he was trotting beside Ashtail. Ashtail breathed a sigh of relief, mixed with exhaustion. "That was close there. What do you think made that sound?" she asked suddenly, her gaze flashing to her brother.

Pebblestone frowned thoughtfully. "Could be anything," he shrugged. "But, it's not our problem. Right now, we need to find our way back to our own territory."

The grey she-cat nodded slightly, becoming silent. Pebblestone padded toward Maplecreek who was in the front of the group. She glanced at him, but didn't say anything.

"Are we close to our territory?" he asked, keeping his slow trot as he walked beside the white warrior. Maplecreek nodded, then pointed with her tail, "The trees are getting thicker and growing closer together. I think we'll be arriving at the border soon."

Pretty soon enough, Maplecreek was correct. The scent of both DuskClan and StormClan drifted toward them as the group drew nearer and nearer to their destination.

"Should we tell Stormstar about DuskClan and the dogs?" Speckwind spoke up quietly as the StormClan cats stopped for a little. "We should, after all, we do have to explain why we've been gone for so long," Pebblestone pointed out. Ripplepaw stayed silent, only gazing over at her Clan's territory.

"That is true," Speckwind murmured, frowning.

"Come on, let's get moving," Maplecreek instructed, starting to head across the clearing to StormClan territory. The assembled cats followed behind her wordlessly as they stepped across the border, and onto the soft grass of their home.

Padding in the direction where their camp lay, hidden in the thick undergrowth and canopy of trees, the patrol lapsed into a tense silence. Just then, a black streak of fur shot out of the bushes and stood before them. "Well, where have you been?"

The patrol stopped shocked by the sudden appearance. "Wait, what are you doing here, Blackstone?" Speckwind asked, gaping at the jet black tom.

"Looking for you. Thistlepond is looking, as well, but he's in a different part of the forest. Stormstar and Jaycloud sent us to search for you when you didn't come back," Blackstone explained.

"You found them!" a voice came out of the bushes as a grey tom with a reddish tail stepped out into the open.

Blackstone nodded as Thistlepond came to stand beside his Clanmate. "We need to speak to Stormstar immediately," Pebblestone spoke up, gazing steadily at Blackstone and Thistlepond.

"Alright, Jaycloud and Stormstar have been worried. I'll go back to tell them that you've come back, and that you need to speak to them," Thistlepond assured the exhausted patrol before he bounded off towards camp.

"Come on, everyone's been waiting," Blackstone urged them after Thistlepond had gone.

The bedraggled patrol nodded slightly before they followed the jet black tom back to the camp, weak sunlight pouring down on their backs.

* * *

Once they had reached the camp, all of the warriors that were out in the camp clearing looked up, their eyes wide. Stormstar and Jaycloud headed out of Stormstar's den with Thistlepond right behind them.

With one glance at the patrol, Stormstar ordered to Blackstone, "Get Fernripple." Dipping his head slightly, the tom changed his course to Fernripple's den.

"Get your various wounds treated first, then we can talk," Stormstar addressed the patrol, fixing them in his blue-eyed gaze.

With nods of acknowledgement, Stormstar turned around, heading into his den with Jaycloud following behind, mouth set in a grim line.

A rustle from the ferns that blocked the entrance to the medicine den alerted Pebblestone's group that Fernripple was coming. A minute later, the said medicine cat padded out from the depths of her quiet den, jaws full with bundled herbs.

Dropping the assorted herbs at her delicate white paws, Fernripple examined the group silently before calling Pebblestone to go to her den. "I'll come and treat your wounds after I'm done with this lot."

Dipping his head, the grey warrior limped to Fernripple's den with her amber-eyed stare on his retreating back. After Pebblestone had disappeared into the depths of her den, Fernripple turned back to the group. "Right, for those of you who aren't injured, go and get some rest before you talk to Stormstar."

Maplecreek, Ripplepaw, and Ashtail nodded before departing to the warriors' and apprentices' dens. The only cat left standing before Fernripple was Speckwind, who kept shifting her paws.

"Are there any major wounds on you?" Fernripple asked, glancing at the white she-cat.

"No. Just some scratches here and there."

Fernripple nodded, bending her head down to pick up some marigold in her jaws, moving to chew them into a poultice. Speckwind turned slightly to show Fernripple some scratches on her flank.

Applying the poultice gently on the claw marks, Fernripple asked, "Any more?"

With a brief wince at her now stinging wounds, Speckwind shook her head. "Go and get some rest, then," the tortoiseshell medicine cat ordered.

"Thanks, Fernripple." Speckwind turned away to pad over to the warriors' den, wincing slightly.

Fernripple sighed, then picked up the remainder of the herbs before she proceeded to her sanctuary. Ducking under the curtain of ferns and ivy that covered the entrance, Fernripple moved to where Pebblestone laid on one of the moss nests.

"Will he be alright?" a voice spoke up from beside the medicine cat. Fernripple glanced over at the cat. "He'll be fine, Fleetpaw," she assured the young she-cat.

"He better be, I want to do some training now," she muttered, stretching lightly in her nest. Fernripple purred with amusement before she started pressing some cobwebs to the bleeding wounds.

"When can I go out again, Fernripple?" Fleetpaw abruptly asked, frowning.

"Hold on a moment, Fleetpaw. Let me finish treating Pebblestone, then I can see how well your wounds are healing."

Pressing a poultice of horsetail onto Pebblestone's wounds, who stiffened up at this, Fernripple nodded to herself as she finished, glancing at the tom once more. "Alright, you can go speak with Stormstar now, Pebblestone."

Pebblestone rose to his paws slowly, wincing at his stinging wounds. He nodded to Fernripple before heading out, flinching once in a while, leaving the medicine cat to examine Fleetpaw's wounds, dealt by a fox, once again.

At the same moment that Pebblestone emerged from the medicine cat den, a thudding of pawsteps outside the camp entrance could be heard as who or whatever it is, drew nearer.

Jaycloud and Stormstar both emerged from a den beside the Highrock, gazing at the camp entrance curiously. In a time span of seconds, a she-cat appeared at the entrance, blinking at the sight of Clan cats lying around the main clearing.

Curiosity and tension both filled the air as some warriors stood up, lashing their tails and baring their fangs at the intruder while others remained in their positions, staring openly at the new cat.

The intruder turned out to be a dark brown she-cat with a tan underbelly. Along her back and flanks were dark grey markings while the tip of her tail was a light brown color. Her pale green gaze sweeped over the Clan camp, meeting the hostile gazes coldly yet indifferently.

"Who are you?" Stormstar stepped forward, the weak sunlight striking his stormy-grey fur and highlighting his splashes of white while he gazed distrustfully at the she-cat with his blue eyes narrowed faintly.

The she-cat spoke, her tone expressionless as she introduced herself reluctantly. The edge underneath it was barely noticeable, though Stormstar took notice of the she-cat's cold demeanor.

"I am Allira."

* * *

 **A/N:** Yay, new cat :D Um, nothing much to say here, so review, I guess..

 **~Frost**


	10. Chapter 8

Didn't expect me to post this so soon, eh? Well, I'm currently working on the next chapter, so expect that soon. ^-^

 **Captain Scar:** Yeah...

 **Springflower:** Heh. ^.^ :l I haven't been active on there... Of course, I still go on and stuff, but I usually don't stay long. I've been busy. "Busy" as in reflecting almost on what happened currently, reading, and working on this. So yeah, busy schedule, I'll try to go on sometime today.. If you're on as well, that is..

 **Enjoy Chapter 8!**

 **~Frost**

* * *

 **Ratberry's POV:**

As soon as she heard the order, the two toms, Scorch and Aiko, leaped at her, their fangs bared as the two pinned her down; one on her right flank and the other at her left flank. Acting quickly, Ratberry thrusted a paw upwards into the underbelly of Aiko's, scoring a deep slash.

With Aiko out of the way for a moment, Ratberry quickly scrambled to her paws with Scorch still attacking every inch of her body that he could reach. She ducked another one of his attacks, swiping her claws over his muzzle. Hissing and shaking his head to clear the droplets of blood that were blinding him, he lunged once more, fastening his teeth on one of her hindlegs. Twisting around, she raked her jagged claws over his ear, leaving a deep nick in her wake.

Whirling around, she faced Aiko once more, her pelt nicked with multiple wounds dealt by Scorch. Making the first move, Aiko lunged at her, clearly aiming for her neck. Rearing up onto her hindlegs, she batted at the tom with her forepaws, sending him to the ground beside her.

Leaping backwards, she tackled Scorch to the ground, her claws digging into his shoulder blades as the white she-cat pinned him down. With both of the toms occupied, Ratberry sprang away from Scorch and met the leader's scorching yellow gaze furiously.

She stayed standing, her claws itching to drive themselves deep into the leader's neck. Though, she had to restrain herself from doing so, only glaring at the ginger tom once more before whirling around and running.

As the leader watched the white she-cat flee, Scorch and Aiko had recovered enough to stagger to their paws. "Should we go after her, sir?"

Crimson thought for a moment, the tip of his tail twitching irritably. "No, let her flee like the coward she is. Our business is done here." Scorch nodded in acknowledgement with Aiko dipping his head slightly. "Go get the others," Crimson ordered them both.

In their haste to do what their leader had said, the two cats stumbled to where the rest of the group had went before the whole ordeal had happened. Crimson watched Scorch and Aiko silently before resuming to turn over future ideas in his mind.

* * *

Whispers broke out as soon as the she-cat had uttered her name. Eyes flashing back and forth between their Clanmates and the she-cat, the Clan murmured in curiosity. Stormstar stayed silent, meeting Allira's gaze, judging whether she had come in peace or had simply stumbled upon their camp.

"And what exactly are you here for?" Jaycloud spoke, her voice smooth as she came to stand beside her leader.

The cold pale green gaze flashed to the dark-grey she-cat. "I wish to join your Clan," Allira responded calmly, her tail flickering quietly behind her.

The whispers continued, some indignant gazes still trained on Allira. Flicking his tail for silence, Stormstar inquired, allowing to let a little curiosity trickle into his voice, "Why would you want to join StormClan?"

At this, Allira barely shrugged, her expression neutral. "I have heard of the four Clans living in this forest. I mean you no harm, I simply wish to join."

"Why us in particular?" Jaycloud questioned curiously.

Allira shrugged again, remaining silent.

"Hmm.." Stormstar narrowed his blue eyes faintly. "You will be allowed to stay in the camp while me and my deputy," at this, Stormstar's tail gestured to Jaycloud beside him, "think if we shall let you join our Clan."

Inclining her head slightly, Allira nodded, casting a cold glance around the clearing, seeking out the ones who were still gawking at her.

"You will sleep in the warriors' den for now," the stormy-grey leader added, interrupting the dark brown she-cat's silent search.

"Very well," she replied curtly. The StormClan leader nodded tersely, motioning for Pebblestone and Jaycloud to come with him.

Watching the three cats heading into a den beside a tall rock, Allira stood in front of the entrance. "Hi!" a voice broke through her silent musing.

Glancing at the she-cat who had interrupted her, Allira replied warily, "Hello..."

"I'm Fleetpaw! Who are you?" the young she-cat asked excitedly, padding around the she-cat. Following her movements with a careful and guarded gaze, she answered, "I'm Allira."

"That's a weird name," Fleetpaw put in bluntly, coming to an abrupt halt in front of her.

Scowling, Allira fixed the young she-cat in her cold glare, the tip of her tail twitching slightly with suppressed anger.

Squirming underneath the intensity of the she-cat's glare, Fleetpaw added hastily, "I meant it's not weird, it's um.. interesting. It's not like normal warrior names." Shifting on each paw uncomfortably, Fleetpaw ducked her head shyly, her ears slowly flattening.

Rolling her eyes, Allira broke off the glare and resumed gazing at Fleetpaw with a spark of interest igniting in the depths of her orbs. "Um.. you're not very talkative, are you?" Fleetpaw asked meekly, glancing upwards.

"I'll talk whenever I desire," Allira scowled.

"Uh, right... Um, let me show you around the camp.." Fleetpaw stammered, straightening up as she moved to the front of the warriors' den.

Ignoring the curious and hostile glares that were directed toward her, Allira followed the gray and white she-cat silently. "This is the warriors' den," Fleetpaw gestured with a flick of her tail. "The apprentices' den is right next to it. There aren't very many apprentices, so it's usually Ripplepaw and me."

Allira acknowledged this with a slight nod, all the while remaining silent. Fleetpaw headed toward another den with Allira right on her heels. "This is the nursery, where expecting and nursing queens live," Fleetpaw explained. "There's only one nursing queen right now, and her kit is about to become an apprentice. Today, in fact."

Allira poked her head inside of the entrance, her gaze traveling over corner of the spacious cave. Her gaze lingering on the she-cat and what the dark brown she-cat assumed to be her kit, she ducked her head back outside.

"Come on, I'll show you the medicine cat den next," Fleetpaw declared excitedly.

"Alright," Allira responded curtly, following behind the apprentice as they came to a stop. In front of the den, a curtain of ivy and ferns stood before them, blocking any outsiders from seeing the inside of the cave. "This is Fernripple's den. She's our medicine cat; she's basically our healer, but she also communes with StarClan."

"StarClan?" Allira echoed, interested.

"Yep, StarClan." Fleetpaw nodded before explaining, "StarClan are our warrior ancestors. You can see them in Silverpelt when it's night. They watch over us and guide us in times of trouble."

"Are you her apprentice?" Allira asked, becoming more interested.

"Fernripple's? No! I'm training to be a warrior," at this, Fleetpaw puffed out her chest proudly. "If a kit shows a genuine interest in becoming a medicine cat apprentice, Fernripple will usually take that kit as her apprentice. But so far, she doesn't have one yet."

"Ah," Allira nodded in understanding.

"Oh, and that big rock that's beside Stormstar's den is the Highrock. It's where Stormstar makes important announcements and performs certain ceremonies. He'll be calling the Clan together soon, I think," Fleetpaw remarked, turning toward the Highrock. Flicking her tail toward the pile of prey that lay beside the Highrock, Fleetpaw added, "That's the fresh-kill pile. It's the duty of apprentices to deliver fresh-kill first to the elders and queens."

Allira acknowledged this with a slight nod, her gaze traveling around the camp clearing. Just as Fleetpaw finished wrapping up the brief tour, Stormstar, Jaycloud, and lastly, Pebblestone emerged from Stormstar's den.

The leader, with a strong leap, padded up the Highrock, starting to yowl the summoning words. "Let all cats old enough to hunt in stormy weather, gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!"

Allira watched curiously as the members of StormClan moved forward, almost as one, to sit beneath the Highrock. Feeling a slight nudge in her side, she glanced down to see Fleetpaw moving forward to sit beside a blue-grey she-cat that looked almost as young as Fleetpaw.

Silently, she sat in the back, her neutral gaze trained upon the leader.

"Today, we have gathered to perform one of my favorite ceremonies. Ivykit, step forward," Stormstar smiled. A brown she-kit stepped forward, her fur as sleek as it could be. Her bright blue eyes shined with excitement, though one, Allira could tell, was blind.

"Ivykit, you have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to become an apprentice," Stormstar intoned, his clear blue gaze fixed upon the young cat. "From this day on, until you have received your warrior name, you shall be known as Ivypaw. Your mentor shall be," now his eyes sought one cat in particular, finally resting on one of the cats sitting around the Highrock. "Blackstone."

The jet black tom rose to his paws as he padded forward to stand beside Ivypaw. "You have shown yourself to be worthy of mentoring an apprentice. Teach Ivypaw all that you know." Blackstone dipped his head slightly to Stormstar before leaning forward and touching noses with Ivypaw, who was brimming with excitement.

Flicking his tail in amusement at her, mentor and apprentice both padded to the edge of the gathered cats who parted to make way.

"Now, unto more pressing matters," Stormstar stated, glancing at the she-cat whom he knew was sitting silently in the back. At this, hushed whispers started as the Clan caught on to what Stormstar had meant. "Allira, step forward."

Rising to her paws, she moved forward, coming to a stop in front of Stormstar who had picked his way down from the Highrock. "Allira, is it your wish to join StormClan?" "It is."

"Then, I shall deem it so. From this moment on, you shall be known as Shadefrost and you are now considered a StormClan warrior. Protect and defend this Clan with your life," Stormstar announced, dipping his head slightly to the dark brown she-cat who returned the gesture.

And so the chant began until the warriors of StormClan were up on their paws, yowling to their warrior ancestors above, the stars of the night beginning to appear, twinkling brightly in the growing dark sky as if in rejoice to the event currently happening. In accompaniment to the yowls coming from the StormClan camp, the birds joined the chorus, until it seemed like the whole forest was singing.

* * *

Ehh.. I didn't know what to put at the end, so I came up with that.. Yeah.. Hope you enjoyed and look out for Chapter 9 which is currently in progress still, but I'll hopefully be able to post it tomorrow or the day after. ^-^ Review what you want in the next chapter, as well!

 **~Frost**


	11. Chapter 9

**Captain Scar:** I did not, actually. It was just a name that I came up at the last minute, but even if it was from that, I probably would have changed it soon after.

 **Springflower:** XD Thank you, thank you. No, you don't sound like that at all, my friend. XD

Enjoy Chapter 9!

 **~Frost**

* * *

After the ceremonies, multiple cats went over to Ivypaw, mewing congratulations; the same happened to Blackstone. After the crowd had dispersed somewhat, Shadefrost padded over to the young brown she-cat.

"Ivypaw, isn't it?" She asked quietly, coming to a stop in front of the newly made apprentice. Ivypaw nodded slowly, answering with a hesitant "Yes.."

"Well, I thought I should say congratulations," Shadefrost replied lightly, her pale gaze glimmering in amusement at the she-cat's hesitance. "Oh, thanks," Ivypaw said with a faint smile.

Shadefrost dipped her head slightly toward the younger she-cat before she headed to the warriors' den, slipping inside silently. With some more murmurs of congratulations, slowly the warriors began to head into the warriors' den, anxious for some rest for the busy day that was soon to come.

Her gaze sweeping over the cluster of nests, she soon found an empty nest near the back of the den. Avoiding the moss nests and the occasional tail from a sleeping warrior, Shadefrost settled into her separate nest, her pale green gaze flashing one last time as she drifted into a light sleep.

* * *

The morning sun rose slowly, the dawn light lighting the forest as if it was on fire. Moving slowly higher and higher up into the soft blue sky, the sun moved with grace as if its rightful place is right there, high up in the sky. The vivid sunlight poured into the camp, highlighting every detail there was.

The shadows danced in the entrance of the leader's den as Stormstar awoke, peering from the depths of his den. Padding out into the open, Stormstar stood by the Highrock, blinking as he noticed a faint rustling in the entrance of the warriors' cave.

The StormClan leader relaxed as he realized that it was only Shadefrost appearing, with the still-drowsy deputy right behind her. He dipped his head toward his deputy before nodding to Shadefrost calmly. She returned the gesture, curtness flashing in her cold gaze. Watching her as she stalked her way to the entrance of the camp, Stormstar directed his attention to Jaycloud.

"Hm, what do you think of her, Stormstar?" Jaycloud asked suddenly, glancing at the dark brown she-cat. The stormy-grey leader followed her clear blue gaze, thinking for a moment before he gave his reluctant answer. "Well, I believe that she has a potential to become a warrior, but she must learn how to live with other cats in close range if she wishes to stay."

The dark-grey she-cat nodded slowly in agreement, keeping her gaze fixed on the other she-cat who was staring up at the soft blue morning sky silently. "Assign her to a patrol whether it's a hunting patrol or a border patrol," Stormstar instructed quietly. Jaycloud dipped her head, "Very well, Stormstar."

He gave her one last nod before disappearing into the dark recesses of his den, wanting some time to mull over his thoughts, leaving the deputy and Shadefrost alone in the clearing.

Remaining in her position, Jaycloud began to wonder who she should put on the patrol with Shadefrost. Just then, the pattering of paws across the clearing caught her attention. Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled when she noticed the young apprentice. _Blackstone should take his apprentice out on a patrol. It would be a good experience for her, after all._

As if on cue, the jet black tom appeared in the entrance to the warriors' den, instantly spotting Ivypaw. Padding towards her, he murmured in a low voice to her. With a flicker of amusement, Jaycloud watched the young she-cat's reaction.

Turning around, she headed toward Blackstone and Ivypaw. "You're on the dawn hunting patrol," she informed them. Met with nods, one of acknowledgement and the other of excitement, Jaycloud flicked her tail at Shadefrost, who was still standing at the entrance, and added, "Take Shadefrost with you."

"Alright, Jaycloud," mewed Blackstone with a glance at Ivypaw who was brimming with excitement and energy. Flicking his tail over her ears, the warrior padded toward Shadefrost with Ivypaw close behind. Shadefrost, who had tensed up at the sudden arrival, nodded in understanding before she followed the two into the forest.

* * *

Meanwhile, across the clearing, a white she-cat tentatively made her way across the semi-empty clearing to Fernripple's den. "Yes?" a voice asked from the den. Pausing in her tracks, Speckwind asked, "Can we talk? In private?"

A tortoiseshell head popped out from the medicine den, amber orbs gazing at her steadily. "Alright," the medicine cat said reluctantly before allowing the white warrior to come in. Warily glancing over her shoulder, Speckwind padded through the curtain of ivy and came to a stop in front of a moss nest.

"Now, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about, Speckwind?" Fernripple asked, padding out from under a small crevice where the aroma of herbs wafted out. "Well, I've been extremely nervous over the past few sunrises. When I eat my share of the fresh-kill, I'm always not satisfied."

At this, Fernripple chuckled knowingly. "Why, you don't know, Speckwind?"

"Know what?" Speckwind blinked, concern rising in her.

"Well, I'm rather surprised that you didn't know the signs," Fernripple said, her eyes widening faintly.

Speckwind remained in a remote silence, overly confused at what Fernripple had meant by that.

Then it clicked.

"But.. what...?" Speckwind's voice trailing off as she stammered in shock.

Fernripple frowned, tilting her head as she gazed at the she-cat. "I thought you would be more happy, Speckwind."

Her mouth agape, Speckwind didn't reply to Fernripple's comment. Slowly, her tail flickered behind her as the white she-cat struggled to process this new and shocking information.

Fernripple remained silent, as well, watching Speckwind curiously. "May I ask who's the lucky tom?" her voice had a slight teasing lilt underneath it.

At this, Speckwind snapped back to reality, her dark-brown eyes flashing back to the tortoiseshell. "Uh.. I prefer not to say who exactly.." she replied slowly yet cautiously.

Her amber eyes still wide faintly, Fernripple nodded in understanding. "It's alright if you do not wish to speak of it. After all, it is understandable that some queens prefer not to reveal their mate's identity and the Clan will have to live with that, I guess."

"I think you should move to the nursery soon, Speckwind. In a moon or so, your kits will come," Fernripple advised.

Speckwind nodded blankly, still struggling to process this new event. "I'll go and give you some borage, if you would like," the medicine cat suggested, already moving to the back of her den.

Still in shock, the she-cat stood in the middle of Fernripple's den, not choosing to reply to what Fernripple had suggested. Gazing blankly at the wall, thoughts whirled in the she-cat's head. Shock, a flutter of happiness, and a tinge of sorrow flashed in her eyes.

Realizing that Fernripple had dropped some of the borage in front of her, and was now standing before her, Speckwind nodded slightly. With a slight flick of her tail, Fernripple silently urged Speckwind to eat the borage. Bending her head down to eat the herb, the white she-cat made a little face at the tangy taste.

Fernripple chuckled faintly before saying, "Alright, you better be going now. I'll inform Jaycloud that you are expecting."

Speckwind hesitated for a brief second, but nodded anyway. "Thanks," she murmured quietly before she slipped out of the den.

Fernripple remained silent before heading out herself, moving to make her way across the clearing to where Jaycloud stood, assigning warriors and apprentices to separate patrols. Standing beside her, the tortoiseshell medicine cat murmured, "Speckwind can't do any patrols for a while."

"What, why?" Jaycloud demanded, sharply turning around to face her.

In reply, Fernripple's dark tail flicked toward the nursery where Speckwind was ducking into. Understanding flared in the deputy's clear blue gaze accompanied with a nod. "I see. I'll tell that to Stormstar for you, if you like."

"That would be appreciated," Fernripple mewed gratefully, nodding.

With a nod, Jaycloud silently padded into Stormstar's den, her long dark-grey tail disappearing from sight. A few moments later, Shadefrost, Blackstone, and Ivypaw padded in from the forest. Held from Shadefrost's mouth, two mice and a vole hung limply as the she-cat made her way toward the pile of fresh-kill. Blackstone followed silently behind her, his mouth full with a few shrews.

Halting in front of the fresh-kill pile, the dark-brown she-cat dropped her haul before stalking off to another part of the camp. Blackstone watched her leave with his before dropping his own catches. Ivypaw, however, was trembling with barely held in excitement as she laid her catch, a plump mouse, on top of the others.

Smiling lightly, Fernripple watched the scene for a moment more before sighing quietly and padded to her sanctuary, her thoughts drifting to Shadefrost's aloofness. Noticing the said she-cat lying down on her side by the warriors' den, Fernripple paused for a moment to simply gaze at the dark-brown warrior.

Feeling as if she was being watched, Shadefrost turned her head toward the direction of the medicine cat den, but saw nothing. Only a slight rustling sound from the wall of ivy told her that whoever had been staring at her had disappeared inside. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she turned to stare around at the camp, noting a black she-cat lying outside of the elders' den, one of her hindlegs sprawled awkwardly behind her.

 _Hm, injured she-cat,_ Shadefrost thought with a faint flicker of interest. Sighing in the lack of activity going on around the camp, the she-cat unsheathed her claws, examining the curved edges with slight amusement. Shadefrost then rose to her paws, sheathing her claws as she did so.

Glancing around the clearing, she started heading for the entrance. "And where are you going?" a voice called out, stopping her in her tracks. Turning back around, Shadefrost met the cat's gaze. Glancing at the grey tom as though sizing him up, Shadefrost replied coolly, "Going for a little walk around the forest."

Thistlepond narrowed his eyes faintly, but nodded reluctantly before he resumed weaving some brambles on the nursery wall to reinforce it. Making a vague sound in the back of her throat, Shadefrost trotted out of the camp and into the lush forest.

* * *

Tell me whose POV I should do in the next chapter in the reviews!

 **~Frost**


	12. Chapter 10

I'm back :) Be grateful, for this is one of the rare times I post something new with school going strong XD As always, onto review replies.

 **FeatherKit -** I am so happy to hear that! :D Thank you for taking some time out of your life and just read this. I appreciate it XD

Well, here you go. Chapter 10 of StormClan's Journey.

* * *

 **Speckwind's POV:**

Entering the warm and comfy nursery, Speckwind nervously glanced around at her surroundings to get a better feel for the change in environment. Since she was the only queen, especially when Breezeblossom just returned to her duties as a warrior, the nursery was pretty empty and quiet without the sounds of rambunctious, young kits.

Padding over to the one nest that was nestled in the corner of the den, Speckwind settled into it, tucking her white forepaws under her. Staring across the compact cave, Speckwind gazed at the wall across from her, dark-brown eyes blank as thoughts whirled in the she-cat's head.

 _I'm a queen now.. Expecting his kits... I should be happy, yet why am I not?_ Sighing, Speckwind rested her head on her paws, the tip of her black tail twitching ever so slightly. Pricking her ears, the queen focused on the commotion that was going on outside in the camp clearing.

Voices, soft and low murmurs, drifted over to the she-cat. Frowning, Speckwind huffed slightly and resumed gazing at the wall of the nursery. Just then, a grey head popped into the head, warm moss-green eyes blinking at Speckwind. "I just heard the news from Fernripple, so I thought I would come to see how you were doing with the change of scenery," purred Ashtail, padding in the den.

Speckwind purred back, her dark gaze flashing toward her friend. "Does the whole Clan know?" At this, Ashtail huffed before replying, "Of course they know. Gossip runs free like a mouse begging to be caught."

Speckwind rolled her eyes before lapsing into a thoughtful silence. Noticing, Ashtail headed over to her friend, settling down beside the white she-cat. "What's wrong?" "Oh, just thinking," Speckwind answered distantly.

The grey she-cat tilted her head slightly but didn't answer. Gazing at her Clanmate silently, Ashtail flicked her tail at a scrap piece of moss that had fallen away from Speckwind's nest.

"I don't know about this, Ashtail," Speckwind said suddenly, breaking the silence. "About what?" Ashtail asked, flicking her ear faintly.

"This, me expecting kits, becoming a mother... I just don't know if I can do this, Ashtail. I mean, I'm not the motherly type."

"Ah, so that's what bothering you," the grey warrior murmured quietly before raising her voice to address Speckwind's statement. "Every she-cat thinks that they're not the motherly type, but when the time comes, they actually make a pretty good mother, even with all of their doubts. It's a matter of experience, Speckwind. Before, you didn't have this situation, but now, you do."

Lapsing into silence once more, Speckwind started to ponder on what her Clanmate had just said. "Anyways, I'm actually a bit curious on who the father is," Ashtail pointed out calmly, glancing at the white she-cat. The said she-cat flicked her ear at the hidden question, but inside, mentally, she had frozen.

"I prefer to not talk about that," Speckwind murmured quietly. Frowning, Ashtail nodded slightly with a quiet "I understand." A soft rustling noise made Speckwind look up to see that Ashtail had risen to her paws. "Well, I have to go, I'm on the sunhigh border patrol." Speckwind nodded in acknowledgement. "See you soon, Speckwind," Ashtail smiled before she padded out of the nursery.

The expecting queen muttered a soft "See you" as the grey she-cat's tail whipped out of her line of sight.

With a deep sorrowful sigh, Speckwind settled into her nest, wrapping her tail around her paws. The tip of her black tail gently resting on her nose as she closed her eyes, prepared for any type of dreams that should come. Dreams involving _him._

* * *

 **Unknown POV:**

Walking quietly around the lush forest, the mysterious cat paused once in a while to check the distance between what he called his cave and the location of where he is now.

Smiling satisfactorily, the cat continued along its path, not knowing of what was waiting for him. Careful not to make any sound, he stepped lightly between the forest debris and paused once more, his ears twitching ever so faintly.

 _So, there's another cat here, hm?_ He thought with interest as the sound of snapping twigs and the rustling of leaves reached his keen ears. Backtracking, the dark brown cat reached the base of the oak tree. Not wanting to be discovered and to waste precious time, he skillfully turned around and started climbing, the glint of sharp claws winking in the sunlight.

As he reached a respectable height between him and the forest floor below, the tom settled down into the thick canopy of leaves that cast shadows over his pelt with only the faint glimmer of amber eyes staring, watching, waiting for the other cat to appear.

In a timespan of only a few minutes did the tom catch a rustling of bushes that blocked a pathway. Breath catching a little in the back of his throat, the tom discerned a flash of a dark brown pelt from the rest of the surrounding tree trunks.

Interested, he continued watching as the other visitor stepped into the sunlight, its pelt having a slight gleam to it. Shuffling quietly further into the canopy of leaves, the tom kept his amber gaze fixated on the cat below. It was a she-cat by the looks of it.

Intrigued by the sudden appearance, the dark brown tom ran plans over in his head how he should present himself. _If I make that decision, that is.._ He was always prepared for the worst, always coming up with a backup plan if his initial plan had failed. That was what he was doing now: coming up with backup plans if his formal "greeting" went awry.

Glancing down on the she-cat below him, he wasn't surprised when he found that the she-cat was almost out of his range and line of sight. Running through his plan in his head while bunching up his hind-legs, the tom nodded to himself before leaping out of the branch. Landing softly on the grass, he turned to face the surprised she-cat.

"Salutations," he greeted her, smiling pleasantly.

"Who are you?" she asked him warily, eyeing him up and down.

"It matters not who I am, but rather, who are _you_?" he replied, keeping his smile.

"I'm a Clan cat," the she-cat replied curtly, narrowing her icy green eyes faintly. "I presume you to be a rogue?"

He hummed for a brief moment, then objected to her claim, "No. I consider myself to be a loner. Much more quieter and peaceful than a rogue kind of life, I might add."

"Uh huh.." she replied suspiciously, her tail flicking from side to side.

He chuckled quietly before bringing himself to ask, "So, you still haven't told me who you are yet."

"As a matter of fact, I did. I told you I was a Clan cat, what else do you need to know?" she snapped, her voice becoming barbed and scathing with hr growing resentment of him.

"Now, now. No need to get angry," he tried to placate her.

In response to his attempt to calm her down, she scoffed and became silent, merely glaring at him with her piercing gaze.

"Would you mind if I asked you to tell me your name?" the tom continued pleasantly, ignoring her glare.

"How about _you_ tell _me_ yours?"

He dipped his head slightly, "Alright then. The name's Bleed."

* * *

Yay, new character. Who do you think is the she-cat? I know, stupid question o3o But I just wanna hear what you guys think. (And Springflower, do not answer this because you already know who XD). Also, happy birthday, Spring! :D


	13. Chapter 11

Yay, new chapter! This one is the second longest chapter of this story yet, so it took me a while to come up with this. I'll have the next chapter up in a few days or so, but no guarantees. x3

 **Springflower -** So true. So true. Alas, we have to wait until the big moment for it to happen. x3 And even then, I might not do it.

 **Captain Scar -** Mhmm. He'll be important later on as the story progresses.

* * *

"The name's Bleed," the tom meowed pleasantly, his tail lazily flicking from side to side.

For a brief few moments, the dark brown she-cat didn't say anything before she sighed and dropped her green gaze, muttering, "Shadefrost."

Inclining his head politely, Bleed acknowledged her with a murmur, "Shadefrost. That's an interesting name."

The she-cat rolled her eyes disdainfully adding to a low murmur, "Yeah well, I didn't choose it."

The dark-brown tom chuckled quietly in amusement. "It fits you."

Shadefrost seemed taken aback by the sudden comment. Bemused, she stayed silent, now taking to eyeing him with wariness and a tinge of curiosity.

"You sure do like staring at other cats, don't you?" He remarked, amused.

"If I may remind you, it was _you_ who had decided to jump down from a tree and meet me that way, instead of just walking up and greeting me the normal way."

The tom smirked faintly, shrugging his shoulders. "Yeah, well. I'm no normal cat."

She stared at him with a deadpan expression before she started to turn away.

"Where are you going?" he asked, confused as she began to walk away quietly.

"I have to hunt," her voice drifted over to him as she began to edge farther away from the bewildered tom.

"I'll leave you to it, then. I hope we can meet again," he meowed over to her before he turned around and disappeared into the undergrowth.

Remaining silent, the dark brown she-cat looked back over at her shoulder, her gaze landing on the spot where the tom had padded off, leaving her once more, alone. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she turned back around and circled back on the way to the clan camp, her thoughts spinning like a whirlwind, focusing on the rather brief meeting that she had just encountered. _Possibly the strangest, as well,_ she mused.

Scoffing to herself, the lithe she-cat stalked through the undergrowth on her way back to the Clan camp. Feeling a twinge of guilt on the fact that she had just lied to that tom about how she was going to supposedly "hunt," she paused in her tracks for a moment, her ears swiveling to catch any disturbance made for the sound of prey scuttling about.

 _Might as well bring a back a piece of prey to the camp,_ she thought quietly to herself as she stood still, her eyes darting around the landscape.

Even though she wasn't entirely all that enthusiatic about living with other cats and devoting her life to that code of theirs, Shadefrost still felt that tinge of loyalty from spending nearly two sunrises with them. Though she hadn't given up her former loner/rogue ways. _It seemed so much more simpler back then than it is now,_ the dark-brown she-cat thought wistfully, her pale eyes taking on a distant far-away look.

When she heard a twig snap, did she snap back to reality, her eyes resuming their guarded and cold tone to them. That moment of soft, wistful thinking was now over, and the she-cat was regaining hold of her emotions, locking them away into her heart for no one would see or discover something that could potentially harm her or put her at risk of doing something drastic.

Parting her jaws so that she could scent the air better, a gentle breeze flew past carrying with it the scent of shrew. A confident smirk formed on her muzzle before the lithe she-cat stalked forward toward the scent, recalling to step down lightly. Getting closer to the scent, she crouched down, her eyes focused on the prey in front of her which was entirely focused on its forage for food to even notice its predator hidden in the shadows.

Suddenly springing out of the undergrowth, her claws snagged the shrew's short fur before she brought it closer to her with a deadly snap to its neck, killing it instantly and soundlessly. Smiling faintly at the easy catch, she picked it up in her jaws and started to head in the direction of the Clan camp.

 **Ivypaw's POV:**

Waking up to the sound of the murmurs of warriors outside of the warriors' den, Ivypaw opened her eyes revealing their depths showing that one of them was covered with a white film. Swiveling her head around to look at the other nests, she found that the two other apprentices had already left.

Just then, a jet black tom poked his head into the apprentice den. "Come on, Ivypaw. We need to train," he called before he disappeared. With a sudden burst of excitement, the young apprentice rose to her paws grinning while thinking of what they were going to train first. _Most likely hunting,_ she decided.

Ducking out of the entrance to the cave she was just in moments ago, she came to a halt before the main clearing. Semi-full with still drowsy warriors appearing out of the warriors' cave, low chatter and the booming voice of the dark-grey deputy could be heard as Jaycloud began to assign cats to separate patrols for the day. "Ivypaw, over here." a familiar voice called over to the brown she-cat.

She directed her gaze her partially blind gaze toward the voice, her one good eye meeting the striking blue gaze of her mentor. With a flick of his tail, he motioned toward the entrance. The message was clear: _Come on. We don't want to waste perfectly good training time._

Ivypaw began to make her way across the main part of the StormClan camp, reaching Blackstone in mere moments.

"What are we doing first?" she asked excitedly as she reached him, her tail flicking relentlessly.

Blackstone smiled in humor before he addressed his apprentice, "We're going for a little hunting lesson. Then, if we have some time left, we can do a short battle lesson."

Ivypaw grinned at the prospect of learning many new things before she chirped, "Okay!"

Letting out a soft chuckle, Blackstone briskly turned and padded out of the Clan camp. Scampering up to pad beside her mentor, Ivypaw began to lose herself in her own thoughts hardly noticing her surroundings.

Ever since she had opened her eyes, and her mother had discovered that one of her blue eyes was blind, she felt useless like she was a burden to a Clan. She heard the low murmurs between Breezeblossom and Mousestreak that concerned her and her life when she had been feigning sleep.

That's why she was so excited to become an apprentice; ever since the murmurs stopped as Mousestreak became occupied with his warrior duties, she had been counting the days as they went by, yearning for the final day of being a kit stuck in the nursery. Reflecting back to the past, she found that she used to sit around in the nursery all day, just thinking about her future life in the Clan. Ivypaw smiled as she remembered that she had daydreamed about becoming a warrior, serving the Clan with tooth and claw.

The most well-known phrase she had ever remembered and received when she asked constantly about the time of her ceremony was, _Warriors don't just fight with tooth and claw, Ivykit. They also fight with words; fighting in battle is not the constant life of a warrior._ She had then asked, a frown on her face, _But why not? Isn't it in the words of one's warrior ceremony?_

Breezeblossom had chuckled in amusement, she remembered, before relenting, _Yes... But, the warrior kind of life isn't all just fighting battles, defending your Clan with your teeth and claws unsheathed. The major part of a warrior is defending your Clanmates. Either with claws or words._

She had stayed silent, a confused frown still on her face. _I don't get it,_ she had bluntly announced with Breezeblossom chuckling after her.

 _I didn't expect you to get it right away, Ivykit. But one day, when you're an apprentice, your mentor will tell you this as well. The life of a warrior is complicated, even if an outside eye thinks that it's simple. You just go about and serve your Clanmates, they think. But what they don't_ _ **truly**_ _understand is that the warrior life is filled with ups and downs. Some face daunting choices that could either benefit or destroy their Clans._

With her mother's brief lecture over, the brown apprentice stayed silent, her eyes wide as she pondered over the words. _That was the starting point of when my whole line of thinking was changed,_ she mused. True, she did still daydream about becoming a warrior, but now she knew that a warrior kind of life could be difficult depending on the choices that that cat makes. _No one's life is perfect, I suppose._

Right at that moment, Blackstone's voice cut into her thoughts. "Here's a good place to practice and start to develop your hunting technique." Blinking, she realized that they had stopped in a dappled clearing, the warm sunlight bursting through the open gaps of the treetops, highlighting parts of the ground and casting the others in shadow.

Hearing a rustle beside her, she noticed that Blackstone had moved forward and turned to face her with his glittering blue eyes. "Now, what do you know about forest prey?"

Racking her brain for answers, she hesitantly mewed, "If you step too hard or make a racket, then... they would run away?" Her voice got slightly hopeful at the end.

Chuckling, Blackstone nodded. "That's true, but what type of forest prey would require you to step lightly and to move silently as a patch of shadow?"

She frowned, remaining silent for a moment before asking, "A mouse?" Back when she was still a kit, she would sometimes go outside of the nursery to find the apprentices practicing their stalking techniques. They would often show her some, only correcting her when she had moved forward too quickly or too noisily. Telling what the particular stalking technique was for, the apprentices usually moved to demonstrate as they started their "mini" lesson in the mornings or afternoons.

Realizing she was zoning out on Blackstone, she struggled back to the present, her ears pricked as if she was listening the entire time. "Good. I'll show you the crouch that's usually for mice and voles." She watched her mentor attentively, noticing how he had tucked his hind-legs in and kept his tail still, hovering barely on the forest floor.

"Would you like to try?" he asked after he had stood up.

Nodding, the she-cat slowly lowered herself into the appropiate position, her tail-tip quivering faintly. _You have to keep your tail still and low on the ground, hovering slighty, or your prey, the mouse in this case, will notice your uplifted tail and scurry away,_ Fleetpaw's words echoed in her head. The grey-white apprentice was becoming something more of an expert at hunting, that is up until her accident with the fox.

Blackstone was walking around her, looking closely at her bunched hind-legs and her quivering tail. "Keep your tail more still, and loosen up your hind-legs a little; you don't want to make your pounce a little bit farther away from your prey."

He looked at her revised crouch and nodded in approval. "Now, the pounce. When you pounce, you have to make it swift and always snap its neck quickly, for it will try to struggle and get free if you hesitate."

Ivypaw nodded in understanding, moving up in a sitting position before Blackstone stopped her and began to demonstrate a pounce. "Aim for that leaf over there," he said, gesturing to a nearby leaf with his tail. "When you feel you're close enough, pounce."

Biting her lower lip in concentration, she moved silently over her "prey" easily sidestepping forest debris that lay scattered all over the place. As the leaf began to grow larger in view, the she-cat stopped before springing from her crouched position, her forepaws outstreched as her claws gripped the leaf's edges.

Proud of her spring and stalking, she turned around to face a smiling Blackstone. "Nice job, Ivypaw," he praised. "Your stalk was careful and your pounce was a little too sudden, but that was really well done."

Puffing out her chest a little, she beamed, her one good eye glittering with excitement. Seeing out of her blue eye, she glimpsed Blackstone looking toward the direction of the sun. "Well, it's about to become sunhigh, so we have plenty of time."

"Battle training?" she asked enthusiatically.

"Sure," the jet black tom chuckled before leading the way toward the training clearing where it was usually held for sparring or just simple battle training.

Trailing behind her mentor, Ivypaw felt hope flutter in her chest. _Maybe I can be a warrior yet. With or without my partial blindness, I will be the best warrior StormClan will have._

* * *

Okay, I think that ending was a little too cheesy. Eh well. XD Keep a lookout for the next chapter and review! Cheers~


	14. Chapter 12

Oh my goodness, it's been so long since I last posted a chapter for this. ;-; I've been so busy with school and other stuff, but managed to find a time frame to write this. To be honest, I was going to post this earlier, but decided to post it today. Also, happy Halloween!

 **Guest -** Thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy it! ^-^

 **Springflower -** Well, I hope this is to your satisfaction. XD

 **Captain Scar -** Totally, you'll see how much he is of an impact on the Clans later on. Though it might not be in the way you expect. ^^;

 **firestarisboss** \- Thank you! XD

* * *

 **Chapter 12:**

 **Bleed's POV:**

As he turned away from the she-cat, he could feel the lingering gaze of Shadefrost's on his back, unintentionally making his fur ruffle. As he stepped into the shade cast by the ash trees, he relaxed slightly, his amber gaze darting about the territory slightly all the while pondering on the brief meeting. _Not what I expected, but someone's got to have a rough sketch of a backup plan..._ He considered himself to be always ready for what the forest might throw at him whether be it strange cats, natural disasters, etc.

Stepping back into his normal leisurely pace, the tom stopped every once in a while to scent the air for any more "Clan" cats, each result coming up with the same thing: a satisfied smirk albeit faint, but it was still there. Crossing the border to what appeared to be another Clan territory, he loped along, hardly noticing his surroundings as he began to delve deeper into his thoughts.

 _Shadefrost seems quite like myself, though she's a little more wary and cold.._ Without realizing it, his mouth had quirked into a smile of amusement as he easily sidestepped several boulders and the occasional shrub here and there. _Those eyes of hers though.. I've never seen those type of eyes quite like hers, so guarded.. and cold..._ He made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat before his eyes flicked over to where a well-worn path laid.

He halted before the path, his eyes glancing up toward where the path rose to a slight slope before they flicked back to his position. Any cat who was passing by would think that the tom had gotten himself lost somehow. Once he was satisfied examining the worn-down path, he resumed his pace, heading onto a different path that branched out from the current trail he was once on.

Lapsing in a thoughtful silence once more, he continued to think of the cold she-cat and if he had knew her more fully, what her personality would be. His tail-tip flicking from side to side faintly, the dark-brown tom snapped back to reality, his amber gaze clear as they were once more alert, chasing the clouds of deep thinking away.

Realizing that he was near his cave, the tom sped up his pace until he was walking briskly, the sun warming his dark-brown fur as he neared the entrance. Pausing at the entryway into the den, the tom glanced back over his shoulder, his amber orbs glinting in the sunlight.

Seeing that nothing looked suspicious, Bleed ducked his head and padded quietly into the den, immediately heading over to a moss nest that was tucked in the corner of the narrow cave. With a quiet sigh to himself, he settled down into his nest, the tip of his tail resting lightly on his nose.

Blinking, he stared at the cave wall of his den unable to doze off into the grasp of which awaited him: sleep. Letting out a breath, he let his mind wander in hopes of dozing off. _This is getting me nowhere..._ he frowned after he had lapsed into a tense silence.

Sighing, the tom closed his amber gaze and allowed his mind to wander. Almost at once, his thoughts were assaulted by images, almost all of which had one thing in common: that pale gaze of the guarded she-cat. Amused, his mouth had quirked into a faint smirk as he pictured her letting down her wary act. _She really is a thing to be curious about._

A slight breeze ruffled his fur around his shoulders and he blinked his eyes open at the slight chill. The noonhigh sun poured its yellow rays into the cave, lighting up most of the narrow den. _I still have some time left before it becomes nightfall..._ Not wanting to lay around his den like any other rogue cat would, he rose to his paws before trotting toward the entrance.

Poking his head out of the den, he examined the grassy clearing filled with a copse of trees for any sign of incoming danger. Padding out more fully into the small clearing, he looked around, his jaws opening to scent the air for prey. The scent of the Clan cats' border wafted in the gentle breeze over to the dark-brown loner as he swiveled his head in search for any wandering prey; his cave laid not too far from the Clan cats' border, but far enough for it not to be detected.

The sound of a small _snap_ caught the tom's attention, his gaze darting toward the location of the noise while opening his jaws to catch the scent. _Vole!_ he thought, beginning to creep forward towards it. As Bleed began to draw nearer to the vole, the ferns parted slightly revealing a little brown-grey body.

Judging the distance between his soon-to-be catch, he paused for a moment before he launched forward with a powerful spring, his claws digging into the vole's sides. Bringing the squirming vole closer, he clasped his jaws around its neck, instantly snapping it. _That's one down._

Deciding to pass the time hunting, he buried the dead vole for later retrieval before he started to go further into the sparse undergrowth.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the StormClan camp, warriors passed wary glances at the dark-brown she-cat as she headed over to lay beside the warriors' den. It seemed that some of the senior warriors were still wary of the former loner who had appeared very suddenly last sunrise.

Meeting the obvious glares of hostility boldly, Shadefrost stared at them coolly, settling down near a patch of shadow, tucking her tail over her paws. Furs prickled as their gazes met the cold she-cat's and quickly looked away, murmuring to each other in low voices.

Looking away unperturbed, Shadefrost focused on the cats going on their daily chores around the camp.

The rustling of ivy could be heard as the tortoiseshell medicine cat padded out from the depths of her den, a white-grey she-cat leaning against her side. "I trust you can rest here without opening your wounds again?" the medicine cat remarked lightly.

Fleetpaw rolled her eyes and with an exasperated sigh said, "Yes, Fernripple. I'll be fine. It's not like another fox is going to come along, straight into the heart of StormClan territory."

"Well, you never know," Fernripple shrugged, replying wryly before she moved to help the young apprentice lie down. "I'm going to go check on Shadowclaw and Speckwind. Ripplepaw will be here to relieve your boredom soon."

The grey-and-white she-cat nodded, her head now resting on her paws. "Okay, Fernripple."

Turning around, the StormClan medicine cat walked over to the elders' den where Shadowclaw, a senior warrior of the Clan, resided currently. "Shadowclaw, it's Fernripple. I'm here to check your wounds."

A raspy voice, dry from not using it for a couple of days, filtered out of the elders' den. "So soon?" Grey eyes appeared in the entrance as the black she-cat rose from her nest.

"Well, your wounds are getting better and I need to make sure that they're not getting infected."

Wounds given by an enemy warrior from a long-ago battle indefinitely crippled the black warrior, placing her in the elders' den. Most warriors didn't think that she'd recover any time soon, but still treated her like any other cat whenever catching a glimpse of her, from voluntary choice or chores.

"Very well," Shadowclaw nodded as the tortoiseshell she-cat padded inside.

Tearing her gaze away from the elders' den, Shadefrost glanced toward the entryway of the camp, noting how the sun's rays was beginning to turn reddish as it began to set, signalling the end of yet another day in the Clans.

Picking herself up from the ground, she whirled around, padding inside the warriors' den, pelt prickling as she felt the stares of the other warriors lingering on the she-cat's retreating back. _These Clan cats are really suspicious of loners and rogues, aren't they?_ she thought with mild amusement, her orbs gleaming in humor.

* * *

:l To be honest, I kind of gave up on the end. I think it showed.. Next chapter will ( **hopefully** ) be posted soon! Until then, cheers! _Don't forget to review!_


	15. Chapter 13

Oh my goodness, has it really been two whole months since I last updated? o.o That's so not like me. But, in a shred of good news, I decided that I can, and will, update every Thursday. Today's chapter counts for this week, since I'm going to be quite busy on the 30th and 31st, working on a project for school. Nevertheless, I will try to update next Thursday if I am not busy. ^^ Anyways, this chapter contains about 4,119 words which is my longest chapter for this story, excluding both A/N's, that is. ^^

 **Springflower -** ^^ Thanks.

 **Captain Scar -** They'll be helping each other a lot throughout. That's about the only "spoiler" I'll give for now, though.

Anyways, enjoy Chapter 13!

* * *

 **Chapter 13:**

As quickly as night-fall had descended on the StormClan cats, the black veil was pierced by streaks of golden-yellow rays of the rising sun as it began to appear on the horizon in all its blazing glory. The morning sunlight bathed the tree-tops of the lush woodlands in a warm yellow color that signaled the start of another long day in the life of the Clans.

The still air was broken by the tired yawns of apprentices and warriors alike as they began to pad sleepily out of the individual dens, hastily trying to blink the grogginess of sleep away from their eyes. A dark-grey she-cat soon broke away from the mass of cats that were gathered around the warriors' den, starting to yowl loudly to get their attention.

"Alright! Alright, I'm going to name the cats who gets to be on the first border patrol. The cats are as followed: Maplecreek, Ashtail, Ripplepaw, and Blackstone. Maplecreek will be in charge for the patrol. Leave immediately once the other three are all assembled," Jaycloud added to the white she-cat to which she nodded in reply.

Glancing back up, Jaycloud continued on with the list of cats who should be going on the hunting patrol. "Shadefrost, Breezeblossom, Thistlepond, and Ivypaw, you will head out after the dawn patrol has come back, understood?" The cats whose names were called out nodded their heads in acknowledgement before Jaycloud resumed calling out cat names to stay in the camp and "spruce" it up a little or to go out on more border and hunting patrols respectively.

The dawn patrolling cats gathered at the front of the camp entrance, a grey she-cat looking over her shoulder seeming to be waiting for another one of their members. A flash of white-grey mottled pelt flashed in the sidelines of the dispersing crowd before racing up to the waiting patrol. "Ripplepaw, finally!" Ashtail exclaimed as the she-cat skidded to a halt before her. "We were just about to take off without you."

The apprentice's ears were flat against her head in embarrassment, her mouth quirked in a sheepish grin, "Sorry, Ashtail, Maplecreek. I was just talking to Ivypaw about something and guess I forgot about being on the dawn patrol."

Maplecreek gave a harrumph of disapproval before stating, "Come on. We're late enough as it is. We'll head by the RavenClan border before heading on over to DuskClan's border that we share with them." The assembled cats nodded their consent before following the senior warrior and leader of this particular patrol. Ashtail was walking amicably by Maplecreek's side with Blackstone and Ripplepaw taking up the rear.

Meanwhile, before the dawn patrol had set off, a she-cat who lurked by the warriors' den was watching through half-closed eyes. It wouldn't be long before the patrolling cats returned from refreshing the border markers before the next patrol set off. Sure, she was a little surprised when she heard her name called out for the hunting patrol, but she, overall, was nonplussed. _Just keep focusing on doing your duties and you'll be fine,_ she kept telling herself.

Now, even the StormClan leader headed out of his den and was conversing quietly with Jaycloud to whom she nodded every once in a while. The pair seemed oblivious to the cats milling around them as they continued their discussion. With a final nod to sum up whatever was said, Stormstar turned around and headed back to his den, obviously needing the peace and quiet to ponder on what was bothering him.

As the sun began to rise higher and higher into the sky, the dawn patrol returned with Maplecreek telling the others to go and do whatever they would like of which was met with nods of agreement before they all dispersed. With the white she-cat left behind, she proceeded to head over to the deputy who's back was facing the senior warrior, talking to one of the warriors quietly. After a few moments, with Maplecreek waiting patiently, the cat nodded before he stalked away to another part of the camp.

Jaycloud watched the warrior go with keen blue eyes before turning around and facing Maplecreek. "Glad to see that you returned safely, Maplecreek," she greeted. The she-cat nodded faintly, smiling lightly before she reported that they didn't see any sign of trouble, but they did catch a faint scent that wasn't one of theirs or that belonged to their neighboring Clans. "Stale, I would estimate about a few days or so. Other than that, the borders seem to be clear."

By this time, the deputy was frowning thoughtfully before she nodded, pushing her conclusions and dark thoughts away from her mind just for the moment. "Alright, thanks Maplecreek." The warrior dipped her head slightly before moving to where Ripplepaw was lying beside the fresh-kill pile, muttering to her softly before stalking away.

Jaycloud, however, was looking around the camp for a familiar pair of eyes. Upon finding her target, the dark-grey she-cat walked over to her, her dark pelt blending in easily with the shade cast by the warriors' den. "Shadefrost, gather your patrol. I assume you already know that Maplecreek's dawn patrol had already returned?" The dark-brown she-cat nodded her head faintly in response, keeping her silence as Jaycloud continued, "Good. The others should be waiting for your signal to head out. Feel free to leave whenever, but I do suggest you leave immediately."

"As you wish, Jaycloud," the she-cat answered smoothly to the deputy's content before she returned to her earlier position. The dark-brown she-cat glanced around the camp for a brief moment, spotting some of her patrol members and with a faint flicker of the ears, padded over to them. "Hunting patrol. Though, I presume that you are already aware?"

"Of course we are. I'll get Ivypaw," the grey tom added cordially, already padding to the apprentices' den which wasn't that far of a walk from their current position. The two she-cats waited quietly, though Breezeblossom had attempted to talk with the dark-brown she-cat, she gave up sensing that the she-cat wouldn't be too much of a talker.

Not too soon, the warrior and the apprentice respectively made their appearance, Thistlepond leading the way to the front of the camp. With a sweep of his amber eyes, the grey-furred tom examined the patrol quietly before flicking his tail, signaling that they needed to set off, already starting to pad out into the forest. The others trailed after him silently, not daring to break the silence that had enveloped the group.

As the hunting patrol departed, the camp seemed a little bit more emptier than usual. Some of the dens were being reinforced with brambles even though it was the height of greenleaf by most of the remaining warriors. Fernripple and Fleetpaw were outside the medicine den with Fernripple instructing that Fleetpaw should rest instead of being up and about. "It'll only aggravate your wounds further. Do you _want_ to stay in the medicine den for at least another moon?"

"No, but I just can't stay in one place for that long, Fernripple," Fleetpaw retorted, her face a mask of pure boredom.

"Ah, come on, Fernripple, let her walk around the camp. It'll help her when her wounds have finally healed so she doesn't have to exercise later on," Ripplepaw interjected calmly having walked up to the bickering pair.

The tortoiseshell medicine cat finally gave in, sighing as she did so. "Fine, but only a _short_ walk. Then you rest, understood?"

"Thanks, Fernripple!" Fleetpaw smiled before turning around and walking slowly by Ripplepaw's side, her steps hesitant, but nevertheless was excited to be out of the medicine den. The medicine cat watched them head over to the nursery, no doubt wanting to visit the new queen, quietly before she returned to her den.

* * *

Finally, the hunting patrol returned to the camp, their individual jaws full of prey. They carefully picked their way over to the fresh-kill pile and were greeted by the deputy as the four cats set down their catches. "Alright, you can either go rest or help with the others fix some of the dens," Jaycloud offered.

Dipping or nodding their heads respectively, the cats dispersed, some of them disappearing into the warriors' den while the rest walked over to their Clanmates who were currently repairing the apprentices' den. The dark-grey deputy watched the former hunting patrol members for a few moments before turning her attention to a cat who had just trotted up to her.

The day passed by quickly and was rather uneventful. The patrols were all sent out accordingly, border patrol cats reported that there was still no sign of trouble, hunting patrols always brought back plenty of prey to stock up the fresh-kill pile. Therefore, StormClan was thriving in the midst of green-leaf. As the sun began to inch toward the western horizon, Stormstar and Jaycloud appeared from the leader's den.

Jaycloud proceeded to yowl loudly to gather the cats in the clearing's attention. "As you most of you may know, tonight is a Gathering night. Stormstar and I have been discussing the cats who will go tonight and they are as followed: Blackstone, Ashtail, Ripplepaw, Shadefrost, Maplecreek, Pebblestone, and Ivypaw."

Small smiles were exchanged to one another as the cats who were chosen on the Gathering patrol turned to the cat beside them and started to talk amiably. Most of the murmurings were about how the Gathering is going to go while the rest were mostly about how they would tell the others that weren't chosen, how the Gathering went.

One argument rose up above the rest as Fleetpaw stood in front of the tortoiseshell medicine cat, retorting to whatever the placid she-cat had said. Ripplepaw, noticing this, trotted over to the pair and intervened with a comment of her own. "Fleetpaw, calm down. Your wounds have just started to heal ever since you were brought in and walking long distances would only aggravate them. And besides, when we return, I'll tell you how it all went. That sound fair?"

Fleetpaw lapsed into a somewhat thoughtful silence before nodding reluctantly much to the medicine cat's relief. "Thanks, Ripplepaw," Fernripple said as the grey-and-white apprentice padded into the den behind her dejectedly.

"It's no trouble, Fernripple. She's stubborn as a rock, but a great cat nevertheless," Ripplepaw replied, smiling slightly as she glanced pointedly at Fleetpaw's retreating back.

"That I can agree with you sincerely," Fernripple nodded in assent.

"Well, I better go rest up before the patrol heads out. Don't want to fall dead on my paws before we even get to the clearing," the apprentice remarked calmly, dipping her head prior to padding away from the tortoiseshell she-cat to the apprentice's den.

As some of the StormClan cats milled around in the clearing, the sun's rays began to turn into hues of orange and yellow as dusk approached and the sun began to set. The senior warriors glanced at the camp entrance, then back to Stormstar's den from which he and the deputy disappeared into when Jaycloud had finished naming the cats who were to attend the Gathering. Cats started to murmur to each other again, once in a while, nodding their heads occasionally and pointedly toward the camp exit from which the sun's rays were beginning to dim as the night began to take over.

In just that moment, the stormy-grey leader and his faithful deputy appeared in the entrance to the leader's den. "The cats who are attending tonight's Gathering, we will leave now," Stormstar stated, already padding to the front of the camp. The seven cats who's names were called out earlier surged forward, halting in front of Stormstar respectively.

Stormstar nodded as the Gathering patrol members were all accounted for before he beckoned them with his tail to follow him. If they were going to arrive on time at the arranged place where Gatherings were usually held, they needed to swing around to the back of their territory before walking along the border line that they shared with RavenClan.

Skirting around the edges of the camp walls, the patrol followed Stormstar and Jaycloud as they led the way to the trail used by StormClan cats in order to arrive at the Gathering place safely and quickly. It was like this for a few minutes, the mood having been set ever since they left the camp behind: quiet, but interspersed with some chatter. Stepping onto a worn-down forest trail, the StormClan representatives continued on their trek through their territory as Stormstar increased the pace after he had glanced upwards at the quickly darkening sky.

* * *

At last, the StormClan patrol reached the strip of land that lay at the end of RavenClan territory and was bordered by OwlClan to the south. Stormstar halted the cats behind them with a single raise of his white-and-grey tail, looking down upon the Gathering land on a slight incline. RavenClan was already there, the cats milling around in one spot.

"We're the second group to have come in. RavenClan's the only Clan there. But I'm sure that DuskClan and OwlClan should be arriving soon," Stormstar informed his cats, swiveling his head back to look at them.

"Well, let's head on over there, don't want to keep them waiting for much longer," Jaycloud remarked, still by her leader's side as always.

Stormstar affirmed her remark with a slight nod before beginning to pick his way down, the mass of StormClan cats patiently following behind their leader and deputy. RavenClan cats had already gathered to where StormClan was heading to, welcoming them with mews of warm greetings and smiles. Ravenstar, himself, had come to pleasantly welcome Stormstar and exchanging nods with the StormClan deputy.

"Greetings Stormstar, Jaycloud. Was DuskClan with you when you first set out?" Ravenstar greeted, smiling lightly as he walked with the StormClan leader and deputy to the Great Oak.

"No, but I assume they are on their way now," Stormstar answered promptly, turning his head to look at the black-furred tom as they neared the gnarled knobs of the roots that showed through the earth.

"Ah," Ravenstar sighed, nodding in acknowledgement as they reached the base of the Great Oak with Jaycloud heading over to her usual position among the deputies' spot.

"Ah, here comes OwlClan," Stormstar noted, looking toward the western slope where a mass of cats were filed behind a single she-cat who, even from the distance, held herself in a regal way. Suddenly, the line of cats began to dash forward only slowing their pace once they reached the bottom of the clearing where RavenClan and StormClan cats alike started to greet them warmly.

The new arrivals started to mix with the other two Clans that were already there and a low murmur of chatter began to rise as the cats began to talk amiably, their hostilities forgotten for the night. A light-brown tabby she-cat soon caught up to the conversing two leaders. "Ah, Owlstar. Glad you could join us," Ravenstar smiled, nodding toward her in welcome.

"Glad that the Gathering hadn't even started yet," Owlstar replied coolly, dipping her head to the two leaders.

"We're just waiting for DuskClan to arrive. Usually, they're the second group to have come in by now, but I suppose that they got held up by something," Stormstar remarked, glancing at the slope that the DuskClan cats usually entered in from. Ravenstar nodded his agreement while Owlstar followed the stormy-grey leader's gaze before giving a soft murmur.

The three leaders then fell into a silence, their eyes gazing at their individual cats who mixed in happily in a mass of cats, different colored-pelts swarming like a horde of bees. Soon enough, the full moon rose higher into the night sky, signaling the start of the Gathering. As if on cue, a line of cats near the eastern slope appeared, all crowded around two cats who obviously were of high rank. With a single fluid movement of the first cat, the others followed her, another pacing beside the first.

"Just in time, I see, Duskstar," Owlstar greeted, her eyes flitting over to the brown she-cat who stood by the leader. She proceeded to dip her head to Duskstar's deputy who replied with a curt nod of acknowledgement before stalking off to where the other three deputies were already gathered. Mews of welcome erupted out of the threesome, all smiling lightly at the new arrival.

"As always, Owlstar," the creamy-furred she-cat replied with a light smile, her dark blue eyes twinkling in the moonlight that shone down upon the clearing. "Now, I believe we must start the Gathering if we are to return home before sunrise?"

"You thought correctly," Stormstar answered, already preparing to leap up toward one of the lower-hanging branches with Ravenstar following suit. Owlstar rolled her eyes faintly, the move directed to the two toms before she climbed up deftly, her unsheathed claws making claw marks in the bark of the Great Oak. The DuskClan leader smiled lightly before following Owlstar as they both caught up to the two leaders who were already settling down in a sitting position.

Owlstar, the last cat in the line of four, rose up and let loose a loud yowl to capture the cats' attention, most of whom, in unison, turned their heads upward as they began to sit beside one another, their tails flicking slowly from side to side. "Cats of all Clans! Now is the time to gather beneath the full moon in a night of truce and peace," she began, letting her glittering yellow eyes sweep over the mass of cats down below. "I will start tonight, I presume."

"OwlClan has been thriving in the wonders of Greenleaf season. However, one of my patrols earlier this moon, have caught a faint scent that smelled of cat. I would guess that it was a loner and by the direction the scent, it was headed for your Clan's territory, Stormstar," Owlstar nodded her head to the stormy-grey leader who politely inclined his head back in acknowledgement of the warning.

At that, Owlstar dipped her head to the gathered cats below before stepping back a pace and sat down, her tail wrapped partly around her paws. Her turn was over, it seemed, and the next cat to rise from his position was Ravenstar. "RavenClan has also been thriving in Greenleaf. Our warriors are prospering, prey is plentiful, the warmth of the sun shining down on our backs and in the midst of this, a queen of ours has recently given birth to a litter of two kits. We gladly welcomed the two new additions to RavenClan."

Now he paused as the cats of the four Clans murmured quietly in welcome to the new additions to the forest. Kits are always a welcome thing, showing that even in the direst of times, new life and miracles can happen anytime. As the ripple of soft murmuring stopped, Ravenstar took this as a cue to continue on with his announcement. "There has also been a stale scent reeking of dog on our land a few sunrises ago, but they have appeared to move on toward your territory, Duskstar." Now he did the same as Owlstar had done to which Duskstar replies quietly, "Thank you, Ravenstar, for the warning, but we have already dealt with the problem."

The black-furred tom narrowed his amber eyes faintly in the moonlight, coolly dipping his head in silent response as his eyes flitted around the cats seeming to be trying to identify the DuskClan cats to which he noted mutely that a few of them had ruffled pelts. He stepped back after letting his gaze wander around the clearing and resumed his earlier position.

The next leader rose from her sitting position, the leaves rustling quietly as they were disturbed by the leader's paws as Duskstar began to speak, plunging into the explanation with no preamble, "A few sunrises ago, DuskClan had been attacked by a mass of dogs. We managed to fend them off for a while, even resorting to retreating into the deepest part of our territory; they pursued us with no intention of relenting. We finally drove them off of our land, but have suffered minor casualties."

The DuskClan leader sighed quietly, her gaze dark with sorrow as she continued retelling the tale. "However, we have had one of our warriors die from their wounds and one cat unaccounted for. We can only assume the worst has happened." In unison, the cats below the Great Oak, bowed their heads in a moment of silence to grieve for those who have been felled by the savage dogs' claws.

Duskstar nodded quietly, her turn to speak now over as the final leader arose from his position. Padding forward with a single step, Stormstar then took over, his voice ringing from the Great Oak and all across the clearing. "StormClan is flourishing in the Greenleaf season. One of our kits has recently become an apprentice and for this we welcome Ivypaw of StormClan."

Cats all around the brown she-cat muttered their congratulations, looking at her with sparkling, warm eyes. The she-cat ducked her head in embarrassment, feeling the tips of her ears growing hot from all of the attention. Feeling a nudge in her side, she looked up to see Blackstone smiling lightly to which she smiled back before directing her attention back to Stormstar who was starting to speak again.

"We have also made a new warrior. We welcome Shadefrost to StormClan." A low murmur of praise and congratulations rose from the cats gathered around the dark-brown she-cat as the warriors from all of the Clans turned to look at her. Shadefrost flicked her ear faintly, aware of the numerous pairs of eyes turning to look at her, their eyes shining in welcome. She sat still, however, her gaze still fixated on the leaders above.

Stormstar continued after the low muttering had subsided, telling of how they welcome Speckwind to the nursery as she is soon expecting kits any time now. A few of the cats, the most from RavenClan and OwlClan, nodded their congratulations to the white she-cat who still resided in the nursery back at the camp.

"Does anyone else have anything they want to add?" Stormstar asked suddenly, having finished his announcement, turning his blue gaze to the other three leaders. They shook their head 'no' before Stormstar nodded and concluded, his attention now back at the cats gathered, "This Gathering is now deemed over. May we meet again at the next full moon."

The four leaders then dipped their heads to each other before leaping off of the branch one by one. Each leader gathered their Clan before Stormstar padded into the open, his cats following obediently behind him and Jaycloud who had darted to the stormy-grey tom's side. DuskClan cats had gathered behind StormClan for they would be traveling together for a little bit before DuskClan moved onto another trail as StormClan arrived back at their camp and would no doubt be welcomed by the remaining cats that had yet to sleep.

RavenClan and OwlClan had long since left the clearing, leaving the Great Oak and the clearing to be bathed in the dimming moonlight as the moon began to slip farther away from this earth, its reign over the sky over for now as the blazing sun began to arrive. StormClan had finally arrived at their camp having left the DuskClan cats to pick their way around their territory to their own. Fernripple was the first to greet the returning cats before herding Stormstar and Jaycloud away from the rest of the group.

Then, the other warriors who were still out in the open clearing rushed forward to greet the others with warm mews before they finally turned in for the night. One apprentice, a blue-grey she-cat, broke away from the warriors crowding around the Gathering patrol, padding quickly to the medicine den to see if Fleetpaw was still awake to tell her of how the Gathering had gone. The warriors outside in the clearing still, then decided to rest up for the night and conserve their energies for yet another long day tomorrow.

Within a few minutes, the StormClan camp was dreadfully still and silent, various cats having gone to their dens, lightly snoozing away. With a last twinkle and another beam of moonlight burst forth, the moon slipped away, nighttime's clutches cut off as the sun began to rise, the rosy pink streaks of sunlight beginning to dot and color the sky hues of rosy pink, orange, and yellow. Thus another day begins and a new chapter in StormClan's life unfolds.

* * *

Heh, I just had to include this Gathering in this. Since I've mentioned it a few times in the other chapters, I just had to do it. This is kind of a filler chapter, I noticed, but hopefully in the next one, it'll be _much_ more interesting than reading about a Gathering and leaders talking. ^^ Don't forget to review your thoughts, opinions, ideas, etc. They really just brighten my day and keep me going.


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